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The CDC released its first set of data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
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So far, only 29 of the 5 million vaccinees have had confirmed allergic reactions after vaccination in the United States.
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“Our vaccine security systems have not picked up any worrying signals,” said Nancy Messonnier of the CDC in a call with reporters on Wednesday.
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People with a history of anaphylaxis should wait 30 minutes after vaccination before going home to make sure they are well.
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The only adults the CDC recommends should NOT be vaccinated are those who have had a severe reaction after a previous injection of COVID-19.
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The chances of a severe allergic reaction after vaccination with COVID-19 appear to be quite low.
According to the first data released on allergic reactions after vaccination at the US Centers for Disease Control, only 29 cases of confirmed anaphylaxis have been reported among the 5 million Americans who have so far received injections of Moderna or Pfizer.
“Our vaccine security systems have not picked up any worrying signals,” said Nancy Messonnier of the CDC in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. “This means that the known and potential benefits of today’s COVID-19 vaccines far outweigh the known and potential risks of obtaining COVID-19.”
The CDC is monitoring adverse reactions to vaccines in a few different ways. One is a new text messaging system they are using to ask patients about symptoms after they receive the first (of the two) doses. This new self-report goes hand in hand with the Vaccine Adverse Event Notification System (VAERS), which is co-managed by the CDC and FDA.
The only adults the CDC has recommended so far should not taking a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine are those who have a negative reaction after the first injection.
Everyone else should be fine to get a vaccine when it’s their turn. But people with a history of severe allergies may want to exercise a little more caution, said the CDC, and talk to the person administering the vaccine before taking it.
This is the first comprehensive report on reactions
More than 350,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the US so far, and about 2,000 die every day.
The injections of Moderna and Pfizer started to go into the arms of health professionals and elderly Americans in late December.
Although there is widespread news about severe allergic reactions after vaccination, both in the United States and in the United Kingdom, the new CDC report is the first comprehensive count of confirmed anaphylactic reactions after vaccination with COVID-19 in the United States.
These reported reactions occurred in the first week and a half of the vaccine distribution, from December 14 to 23, when the Pfizer vaccine was becoming available to healthcare professionals and nursing home residents across the country.
In the weeks since, the CDC has confirmed at least eight more cases of anaplilaxia, with at least one occurring after the Modern vaccine has been administered, for a total of 29 reactions across the country.
Allergic patients should speak to their vaccinator and wait 30 minutes before going home
The data suggest that allergic reactions after vaccination are extremely rare, but there have been some trends.
Among the 21 people who suffered anaphylaxis after the initial vaccines in December, four had a history of allergy to sulfas and two allergies to eggs. Four patients had no history of allergy, and most have never had an anaphylactic reaction to anything before, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about what may have caused these occurrences.
Most reactions occurred within 15 minutes of vaccination, which is why the CDC recommends that providers have epinephrine ready (for the treatment of allergic reactions) on the spot with the vaccines.
Among the 21 cases recorded by the CDC, 19 patients received injections of epinephrine. At least four patients were hospitalized, with problems including wheezing, generalized skin rashes and, in at least one case, some difficulty in breathing, but all recovered.
“It is important for anyone who has ever had anaphylaxis to talk to their vaccinator about it and make sure that if they choose to be vaccinated, wait 30 minutes,” said Dr. Thomas Clark, who tracks allergic reactions after vaccination at the CDC . on the call.
“You know, many, many people with a history of allergies have been vaccinated uneventfully.”
That said, the rate of anaphylaxis after vaccination with COVID-19, in about 11.1 cases per 1 million doses, is about 10 times higher than with flu vaccines.
“The rate of anaphylaxis by COVID-19 vaccines may seem high compared to flu vaccines, but I want to assure you that this is still a rare result,” said Messonnier.
Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine specialist who served on the FDA’s independent advisory committee on vaccine authorizations for Pfizer and Moderna, says it is important that the FDA and CDC continue to monitor the safety of these new vaccines, but it is also critical not being a victim of the “tyranny of small numbers” and concluding a relationship between rare problems (such as Bell’s palsy) and the vaccine.
“Although a health problem can happen after vaccination, the vaccine is not always the cause,” said Messonnier.
Do you have a story to tell about getting the vaccine? Contact public health reporter Hilary Brueck by email.
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