COVID-19 Vaccine: Two People Fall ill After Taking Vaccine
People with allergies warned against taking Covid jab after two fall ill.
Medicine regulators have advised people with ‘significant’ allergies should not have the coronavirus vaccine. NHS England confirmed two of its staff members who received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine yesterday suffered an allergic reaction.
It is understood both are recovering well and the NHS says all trusts involved with the vaccination programme have been informed.
Professor Stephen Powis, National Medical Director for the NHS in England, said: ‘As is common with new vaccines the MHRA have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination after two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday. ‘Both are recovering well.’
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has therefore given precautionary advice to NHS trusts that anyone who has a history of serious allergic reactions to medicines, food or vaccines should not receive the vaccine.
But it has been stressed this is ‘common with new vaccines’. The advice states: ‘Any person with a history of a significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food (such as previous history of anaphylactoid reaction or those who have been advised to carry an adrenaline auto injector) should not receive the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine.
‘Resuscitation facilities should be available at all times for all vaccinations. Vaccination should only be carried out in facilities where resuscitation measures are available.’ It is understood that both the staff members had a significant history of allergic reactions, where they need to carry an adrenaline auto injector with them.
They developed symptoms of ‘anaphylactoid reaction’ shortly after receiving the vaccine. It comes after the first ever doses of an approved Covid-19 vaccine started being administered yesterday on a day health secretary Matt Hancock dubbed ‘V-Day’. Grandma Margaret Keenan, 90, became the first patient in the world to receive an approved vaccine at 6.31am in Coventry on Tuesday.
