This is the first known case of an allergic reaction to a modern coronavirus vaccine, although there have been at least six similar cases reported in the United States associated with the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
“After I got the vaccine, I felt tachycardic, but I felt it was probably anxiety, because I got scared after hearing about Pfizer’s reactions in the United States, especially with those people who are allergic to seafood, like me” explained Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh to CNN. Tachycardia is a medical term that means fast or irregular heartbeat.
After checking his vital signs, Sadrzadeh realized that his heart rate had skyrocketed.
“My heart rate was 150, my normal heart rate is 75, but … six, seven minutes after the vaccine injection, I felt my tongue and also my throat having a strange sensation of tingling and numbness, the same reaction I had before with my seafood allergy, “said Sadrzadeh.
Sadrzadeh said his blood pressure had dropped so much that it wasn’t even detected by a monitor. That was when he decided to use his EpiPen, and then the team rushed him to the emergency room, which was just minutes from the room he was in after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.
Sadrzadeh was monitored for another four hours after his allergic reaction and was able to drive home after that. He says the staff at the medical center “responded exceptionally well”. Boston Medical Center was unable to provide additional details, but confirmed that the incident involved Sadrzadeh.
“The main concern for me as a human being and as a doctor … I have to spread the word to people … People should have EpiPen with them if they have allergic reactions,” said Sadrzadeh, asking Moderna to investigate further.
Ray Jordan, a spokesman for the biotechnology company, told CNN: “Moderna cannot confirm the incident, but it reported the potential adverse event through its internal security communication system and Moderna is investigating the incident.”
It is not yet known which ingredient in coronavirus vaccines may be causing severe allergic reactions in some people. Dr. Peter Marks, who heads the FDA’s Center for Biological Research and Evaluation, said in a briefing last week that the agency is investigating a compound known as polyethylene glycol (PEG), as well as four other possible ingredients in the formulation.
“It is known that one of the components that is present in both vaccines, polyethylene glycol, can be associated in an unusual way with allergic reactions,” said Marks. Polyethylene glycol is a compound that appears in several pharmaceutical products, including some intestinal preparations and laxatives. “This could be the culprit here. And that is why we will be watching closely while we see the Modern vaccine launched,” he said.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla explained in a city hall on Thursday that adverse reactions to the vaccine were “very rare” in clinical trials. He stressed that now that the vaccine is being distributed to millions of people, adverse events are inevitable. He added that these incidents should not prevent people from getting the vaccine, especially those with pre-existing illnesses that put them at risk for severe Covid-19.
On Wednesday, Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser to Operation Warp Speed, said there are discussions between vaccine manufacturers and the National Institutes of Health to consider conducting clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccines in very allergic populations, such as those who need to carry an EpiPen with them all the time. He said a test could help understand the rate of allergic reactions and what is causing them.
He had previously told CNN’s Jake Tapper that the key is to be aware that allergic reactions can happen.
“If you prepare, these are the types of events that we can deal with,” said Slaoui. “And we will continue to try to understand what is in the vaccine that induces it, if there is something that induces it that is specific.”