Some of my friends have asked me if they can get the Covid vaccination if they have allergies like hay fever. The answer is, yes, they can, despite the concerns raised when two health professionals had reactions to the injection in December.
However, both had a history of severe allergies and even carried EpiPens for emergencies.
In late December, the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency issued a statement after reviewing more than a million doses here and in North America.
He said there was no evidence of an increased risk of an allergic reaction to the Pfizer vaccine, the only exclusion being people who are allergic to the vaccines themselves.
(Image: Getty)
I cannot stress enough that allergy does not prohibit vaccination, unless it is a vaccine or its ingredients.
As Rebecca E Glover and colleagues at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UCLH London and Harvard Medical School, USA, say in BMJ, reporting any allergies as a reason for not vaccinating would be worrying because 20-40% of the population in the Kingdom United Kingdom and the USA have at least one form of allergy. This includes hay fever, conjunctivitis, allergic asthma, eczema and contact dermatitis, food allergy and urticaria caused by food.
Another concern is that public acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccine appears to be declining. Initial acceptance increased by 90%, but fell to 64% in July 2020.
Most worrying of all, the vaccine’s hesitation appears to be greatest in ethnic minority communities, the most vulnerable to Covid. It seems to me that we should be transparent with everyone about the science behind allergies and vaccination because, in general, it is comforting.
The important message is that having a severe allergy does not prevent vaccination, unless the allergy is to the vaccine itself or its components.
It is crucial that this message is conveyed clearly and openly as a first step towards addressing vaccine hesitation. The public could gain confidence if vaccinators were prepared to be open, explaining the difference between severe, moderate and mild allergies and clarifying MHRA decision making.
One concern is that people’s opinions about Covid’s vaccines can be transferred to other vaccines, such as childhood vaccination, so it is essential to keep the lines of communication open and, if vaccination is refused, there is no room for coercion. People must be sure that they can return.
The good news is that it may be possible to vaccinate people with an allergy to the components of the vaccine. Allergists can assess patients who are allergic to a vaccine and judge whether they can be vaccinated with a 15 or 30 minute observation routine or whether they can have a skin test prior to vaccination.