A Boston doctor became the first person known to suffer a severe allergic reaction to the modern coronavirus vaccine.
Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh, a geriatric oncologist at Boston Medical Center, said he got dizzy and felt his heart race moments after receiving the Modern vaccine on Thursday, according The New York Times.
“It was the same anaphylactic reaction I experienced with seafood,” said Sadrzadeh, adding that his tongue went numb, his blood pressure plummeted and he started to sweat cold.
“I don’t want anyone to go through this,” he said.
Sadrzadeh self-administered an injection of EpiPen which he brought with him and was briefly sent to the emergency room before being discharged.
Several examples of negative reactions to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been reported, but Sadrzadeh’s reaction marks the first time that a problem with the Modern vaccine has been widely reported.
Five health professionals in Alaska suffered adverse reactions to the Pfizer vaccine, and a hospital in Illinois temporarily paused the distribution of the vaccine after several health professionals fell ill.
In Tennessee, a health worker passed out on TV after receiving the vaccine, but said it was caused by a condition that makes her pass out when she is in pain.
Health experts said that although allergic reactions do occur, they are extremely rare and it should not prevent the public from getting the vaccine.