The Massachusetts doctor, considered the first in the United States to experience an adverse reaction to Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, said the symptoms started within minutes of giving the injection.
Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh of Boston Medical Center received the vaccine on Thursday and at first believed he was experiencing injection-related anxiety, he told NBC 10 Boston. When his tongue started to tingle and then went numb, he realized he was dealing with a reaction.
“My blood pressure was really low, so this is the time when I knew it was an anaphylactic shock,” he told the media. “My heart rate is high, I’m sweating, so my blood pressure is really low. I’ve had this before, so I took my EpiPen and managed it.”
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The geriatric oncology companion, who has a history of severe seafood allergy, recovered on Friday, he said. Sadrzadeh said he would like to see Moderna and Pfizer do more investigative work on the allergic reactions suffered by several recipients of the vaccine since the start of the launches, but that it is important that people continue to receive the injection.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating at least six reactions related to the coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, and several other cases have been reported in the UK. More than 11 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been distributed in the US so far, with just over 2.1 million shots fired.
Experts say that although allergic reactions, including severe ones, can occur after a vaccine is administered, they remain a rarity. Since then, the CDC has issued guidelines that advise anyone with a history of severe allergic reaction to any ingredient in the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine not to be vaccinated. Those with a history of severe allergic reaction to other vaccines or injectable therapies should consult their doctor before receiving the vaccine.
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For the time being, those who have suffered a severe reaction to the first injection are not advised to receive the second dose.
The country has set a target of getting at least 20 million doses administered by the end of 2020, but it appears that the authorities will fall short of that target. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, told the media that he expects vaccine campaigns to increase in January, potentially increasing the current rate of injections.