What should people with allergies consider when getting the coronavirus vaccine

In some isolated cases, the COVID-19 vaccine can generate a strong allergic reactions, which makes many people with this sensitivity hesitate to apply it.

German professor Ludger Klimek, president of the Association of German Allergists, says he is repeatedly contacted by patients who are extremely concerned about this issue. “Many want to be vaccinated and are excited about the idea of ​​receiving the inoculation, but then they read that they could suffer from serious reactions and that generates insecurity in many people, ”Klimek explains.

As more and more people are given a vaccination date in many countries, interest in the vaccine is increasing, but at the same time, so is the fear and insecurity in people with allergies. But how big is the risk?

// Vaccine against the coronavirus: in which cases it can generate allergies

The Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) writes on its website “Infektionsschutz.de” that since the introduction of vaccination in the UK and the US, severe allergic reactions have been reported in people vaccinated. .

These reactions appeared shortly after vaccination and had to be treated. However, there is no exact data frequency after receiving the coronavirus vaccine.

Very isolated cases

Regarding the first figures available, Klimek says that the new messenger RNA vaccines from Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna had a slightly higher risk in this regard compared to other vaccines, around 2.5 and 4 times higher.

However, according to the expert, these are still very rare cases. “It’s one case per 100,000 vaccines,” he says. On the other hand, he specifies that it is not only a question of vaccine problem against the coronavirus. Many drugs can cause allergic reactions, he explains.

On the other hand, he points out that no one becomes allergic to a substance while receiving the vaccine, but is already sensitive to it beforehand. Since the dose is higher when the vaccine is injected, sometimes strong reactions.

Klimek says this problem does not affect all allergic people the same: “Anyone who is allergic to pollen is not at a greater risk of suffering side effects than a non-allergic person.”

When to pay attention

Anyone who has ever had an allergic reaction to certain medications, laxatives, or X-ray contrast fluids could vaccine components.

Known drug substances that cause allergies include polyethylene glycol, polysorbate and ethylene oxide, Klimek explains, adding that it is impossible to exclude this risk completely.

However, the professional recommends that patients who already had marked reactions to certain drugs check with your allergist if necessary. The professional can refer the patient to specialized allergy centers which will make a specific recommendation based on the patient’s hypersensitivity and the ingredients of each of the vaccines.

That is, according to Klimek, an allergist can recommend whether Biontech / Pfizer is better than Astrazeneca for a patient or the other way around. “It’s something very complex and cannot be discovered in any medical consultation,” he says.

The BZgA specifies, just in case, that if there is a known allergy to any of the substances in the coronavirus vaccine, better not to be vaccinated.

The medical history form

Klimek recommends that you complete the application form correctly and in detail. Medical background before vaccination and, in case of doubt, even seek help from the allergist, so that the staff of the vaccination center know what to pay attention to and, if necessary, can clarify other aspects.

After the injection, all patients in the vaccination center should remain in place for a quarter of an hour for safety reasons. If allergic reactions have occurred in the past after administration of other vaccines, the portal Infektionsschutz.de recommends extending the observation period to 30 minutes.

The most serious form of allergic reaction is anaphylactic shock. “It’s a pretty risky thing to do,” Klimek says. Other reactions can also occur, but specifies that they are not that serious, such as rash, sore throat, or itching.

By Tom Nebe (dpa)