Adriana Barrera
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A Mexican doctor who had a severe allergic reaction after receiving the vaccine from Pfizer Inc and BioNTech against COVID-19 remains hospitalized and has not fully recovered muscle strength, health officials said on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old internist, who got the vaccine on December 30, had several seizures in the following days and is being treated at a specialized hospital that is part of the Social Security Institute of Mexico IMSS.
The Ministry of Health’s initial diagnosis after the reaction was encephalomyelitis. Encephalomyelitis is an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. The ministry said the doctor had a history of allergic reactions.
Victor Hugo Borja, director of IMSS, said that the doctor has responded favorably to the treatment so far, has had no new attacks and has recovered part of the lost muscle strength.
“Today she was able to sit down and it is possible that she will be discharged in the next few days,” Borja said at a news conference.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday that they were carefully monitoring allergic reactions to the coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc and urged individuals who had a severe reaction to not receiving second dose.
A study published on Wednesday in the CDC’s weekly report on death and illness analyzing cases between December 14 and 23 identified 21 cases of anaphylaxis after administering 1,893,360 doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.
Doctors are still studying whether the doctor’s seizures and decreased muscle strength are related to the COVID-19 vaccine or previous conditions. The ministry said there was no evidence from clinical trials that someone developed inflammation in the brain after applying the vaccine.
Pfizer said it is aware that the health ministry is studying the case and has promised to continue to collaborate “with any information requested from us”.
Mexico started its COVID-19 vaccination plan before Christmas, giving priority to frontline workers.
(Reporting by Adriana Barrera; Writing by Stefanie Eschenbacher; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Sonya Hepinstall)