WASHINGTON – A health worker in Alaska suffered a severe allergic reaction after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and is now in hospital but stable, a report said Wednesday.
The New York Times reported that the man received their bullet Tuesday, and Pfizer confirmed that the company was working with local authorities to investigate the incident.
Allergic reactions were similar to two health workers in Britain, causing the government there to tell people not to get the bullet if they had a history of severe allergies.
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The U.S. regulator issued an emergency agreement with the warning that people who were familiar with allergies to ingredients within the vaccine should avoid it.
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is pictured at Rady Children ‘s Hospital before being returned to the refrigerator in San Diego, California, on December 15, 2020. (Ariana Drehsler / AFP)
“We do not yet have all the details in the report from Alaska about a severe allergic reaction, but we are actively working with local health authorities to evaluate,” a Pfizer spokesperson said.
“We will monitor closely all reports of adverse allergic reactions following immunization and update billing language if required.”
Volunteers for a Pfizer clinical trial of 44,000 people were banned if they had a history of allergic reactions to vaccines or components of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Overall, the trial found no adverse safety issues, but regulators and the company continue to monitor for adverse events after receiving the vaccine.
The U.S. is vaccinating around three million people this week with the vaccine, and hopes to reach 20 million people this month if another vaccine, developed by Moderna, is approved.
