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New York City reported its first “significant allergic reaction” in a healthcare worker who received the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday, the only adverse reaction it has received from more than 30,000 injections given to date.
The worker has been treated and is in stable condition, city officials said. Allergic reactions to the Pfizer vaccine have been reported in clinical trials and since the FDA granted emergency use clearance earlier this month, but remain rare.
Health officials say they are closely monitoring reports of more serious side effects in collaboration with the CDC. In the meantime, it will continue to move forward with vaccine distribution to ensure frontline workers, residents and nursing home staff are protected from the virus, officials said. health in a press release.
No specific details of the affected worker’s allergic response were immediately available. The city did not disclose additional information about the case during Mayor Bill de Blasio’s COVID briefing on Wednesday, citing privacy rules.
“Vaccines, including the COVID vaccine, are generally safe,” Dr Dave Chokshi, city health commissioner, said during the briefing. “For the vast majority of people with allergies, the COVID vaccine will be safe and effective for you.”
People who have had a history of allergic reactions to any type of vaccine or any type of injection should have conversations with their doctor before receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, Chokshi added.
Rare allergic reactions were reported in Britain prior to Pfizer / BioNTech’s deployment in the United States, which has since reported similar and rare reactions. Three of them involved healthcare workers in Alaska.
As the country prepares to start receiving COVID-19 vaccines, it is important to understand the side effects. Here’s what doctors say people can expect.
Earlier this week, an official from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CNBC that the United States is studying the reasons why some people have suffered severe allergic reactions after taking the injections.
The study, which is still in the early planning stages, is expected to include “several hundred” people with a history of severe allergic reactions, said Alkis Togias, head of the Allergy, Asthma and Respiratory Biology branch of NIAID, at CNBC. Although the rare reactions have been reported by people who have received the Pfizer injection, the study may involve vaccines made by both Pfizer and Moderna.
The hope is to get it off the ground within weeks, officials told CNBC.
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