First U.S. adverse COVID-19 vaccine reaction reported in Alaska healthcare worker

A member of staff poses with a phial of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a vaccination health centre in Cardiff, South Wales’ on December 8, 2020. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
JUNEAU, Alaska (KXAN) — The first reported adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States occurred in the capital of Alaska, according to state health officials.
A healthcare worker in Juneau showed signs of an allergic reaction about 10 minutes after getting the shot earlier this week, NBC station KTUU reported following a Wednesday briefing from Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer.
Dr. Anne Zink said the woman felt flush, was short of breath, had an elevated heart rate and a rash. She was taken to the emergency room and was kept overnight Wednesday but is now considered healthy. A total of 84 people, including the woman, were vaccinated at the hospital Tuesday. The hospital’s protocol is to observe everyone who gets the vaccine for 30 minutes after they’ve been given a dose.
The woman did not have a history of allergies, Zink told KTUU. She said, however, that health officials were aware a side effect like this could happen because of reports previously of two people in England with a similar reaction. The United Kingdom in early December reported it was investigating two adverse reactions to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in people who had a “significant history” of allergic reactions.
Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control say those administering vaccines should observe them after they receive the shot, and that “Appropriate medical treatment used to manage immediate allergic reactions must be immediately available in the event that an acute anaphylactic reaction occurs following administration of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.”
In a study of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine trials, many patients reported having some kind of reaction to the vaccine, with pain at the area where they got the shot being the most common. It said very few people experienced “serious adverse events” and the proportion of those who did were similar in the placebo and vaccine groups—0.6% reported at least one serious adverse event in the vaccine group and 0.5% reported at least one in the placebo group.
The CDC says it will investigate adverse reactions and has a process in place if one occurs.
“If an unexpected adverse event is seen, experts quickly study it further to assess whether it is a true safety concern,” the CDC wrote. “Experts then decide whether changes are needed in U.S. vaccine recommendations. This monitoring is critical to help ensure that the benefits continue to outweigh the risks for people who receive vaccines.”
Rollouts of the vaccine across the United States began this week, and the first ones were given in Austin Tuesday to healthcare workers.
A panel of outside experts are expected to provide their recommendation to the Food and Drug Administration on another COVID-19 vaccine Thursday. This vaccine was developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health. The FDA will make its determination on whether the vaccine will be approved in the U.S. soon after.
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