Two Alaskan healthcare workers received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and suffered allergic reactions, both working at Bartlett Regional Hospital. While one’s symptoms were minor and was fine in a matter of an hour, the other worker was under hospital observation for two nights, according to CNN.
The first worker to have an allergic reaction was identified as a middle-aged woman. Her reaction was considered more severe, but not life-threatening. According to her doctors, within 10 minutes of taking the vaccine she became flushed with an elevated heart rate and shortness of breathe on Monday, as CNN reported.
“I was concerned about an anaphylactic reaction so gave her the standard treatment of a dose of intramuscular epinephrine and she responded immediately,” Dr. Lindy Jones, said in a news briefing, according to CNN.
The second worker to have an allergic reaction was identified as a man, working at the same hospital. His allergic reaction was less severe on Wednesday. His symptoms included “eye puffiness, light headedness, and scratchy throat,” but “his reaction was not considered anaphylaxis,” according to a statement from Bartlett hospital, as reported by CBS News.
“We expected that a side effect like this could occur after reports of anaphylaxis were made in England after people there received the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine,” Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink said about the first allergic reaction, according to CNN. “All sites that are approved to provide vaccinations in Alaska must have medications on hand to deal with an allergic reaction and that was the case in Juneau.”
Reportedly, neither worker want their allergic reactions to have any negative impact on U.S. citizens taking the vaccine.
These two incidents were reported to the CDC. The FDA is working with the CDC, Pfizer and the hospital to figure out why the allergic reactions occurred in these two individuals with no history of severe allergies.
“Both incidents were reported to the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database. Bartlett Regional Hospital and the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services are in close communications with the CDC, and the agency is providing guidance and support,” according to the hospital’s statement.
While NHS workers in the U.K. experienced severe allergic reactions. Those workers had severe allergies unlike the workers in Alaska. The U.K. issued a warning to citizens with severe allergies to not take the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Paul Offit, the director Vaccine Education Center and professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, had this to say, according to CNN:
“There were obviously several people in the United Kingdom who had had a severe allergic reaction to this vaccine and had a history of severe allergic reaction,” said Offit, who is director of the Vaccine Education Center and professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“Currently, the CDC recommendation is that if you ever had a severe allergic reaction to an injectable medical product, you shouldn’t get this vaccine.”
“About one out of every million people that get a vaccine can have a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine. What we need to find out is what specifically seems to be inducing this allergic reaction.”
The CDC and FDA are going to “are all keeping an eye on” are the reports of allergic reaction. Dr. Offit added “it’s the kind of thing that we’re obviously going to need to look at,” as CNN reported.
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