A Boston doctor with a seafood allergy had a serious reaction to Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine and recovered after being allowed to use his allergy autoinjector, health officials reported.
The man, Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh, who has a severe seafood allergy, according to NBC Boston, received the vaccine on Thursday and was observed after vaccination, as is standard, the Boston Medical Center said in a statement.
“He felt he was developing an allergic reaction and was allowed to self-administer his own [allergy autoinjector]. He was taken to the Emergency Room, evaluated, treated, observed and dismissed. He’s fine today, “said the statement.
Sadrzadeh’s allergic reaction is reported as the first with the Modern vaccine, according to The New York Times.
The Times reported that at least six people developed anaphylaxis after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The two vaccines have similar ingredients, according to The Times.
A spokeswoman for Moderna told The Times that the company does not comment on individual cases.
Sadrzadeh, a geriatric oncology colleague, said his tongue and throat started to tingle after he received the injection, according to The Boston Globe. He then began to sweat and turn pale, and he felt cold, reported O Globo.
Sadrzadeh said it was the worst allergic reaction he has had since he was 11 years old. By Friday, he had recovered.
While it is not clear which ingredient may have triggered Sadrzadeh’s reaction, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that people who have had a “severe allergic reaction to any ingredient in a COVID-19 vaccine” should not “receive that specific vaccine” .
“If you have had a severe allergic reaction to other vaccines or injectable therapies, you should ask your doctor if you should get the COVID-19 vaccine. Your doctor will help you decide whether it is safe to be vaccinated,” says the document. .
The most common side effects of the Modern vaccine were fatigue, headache and muscle pain, reported NBC Boston.
More than 1.9 million people received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the most recent data from the CDC. More than 9.5 million doses have been distributed.