UK warns people with serious allergies to avoid Pfizer vaccine after two adverse reactions

[snoop1130]

UK warns people with serious allergies to avoid Pfizer vaccine after two adverse reactions

By Alistair Smout

 

A vial of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is seen ahead of being administered at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland December 8, 2020. Liam McBurney/Pool via REUTERS

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's medicine regulator has advised that people with a history of significant allergic reactions do not get Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine after two people reported adverse effects on the first day of rollout.

 

Britain began mass vaccinating its population on Tuesday in a global drive that poses one of the biggest logistical challenges in peacetime history, starting with the elderly and frontline workers

 

National Health Service medical director Stephen Powis said the advice had been changed after two NHS workers reported anaphylactoid reactions associated with receiving the vaccine.

 

"As is common with new vaccines the MHRA (regulator) 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," Powis said.

 

"Both are recovering well.”

 

The MHRA said it would seek further information, and Pfizer and BioNTech said they were supporting the MHRA's investigation.

 

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was the first in the world to approve the vaccine, developed by Germany's BioNTech and Pfizer, last week, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) continue to assess the data.

 

"Last evening, we were looking at two case reports of allergic reactions. We know from the very extensive clinical trials that this wasn't a feature," MHRA Chief Executive June Raine told lawmakers.

 

Pfizer has said people with a history of severe adverse allergic reactions were excluded from their late stage trials.

 

The FDA released documents on Tuesday in preparation for an advisory committee meeting on Thursday, saying the Pfizer vaccine's efficacy and safety data met its expectations for authorization.

 

That briefing document said 0.63% of people in the vaccine group and 0.51% in the placebo group reported possible allergic reactions in trials, which Peter Openshaw, Professor of Experimental Medicine at Imperial College London, said was a very small number.

 

"The fact that we know so soon about these two allergic reactions and that the regulator has acted on this to issue precautionary advice shows that this monitoring system is working well," he said.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-12-09

 

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[ukrules]

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday,

No surprise there then, I've heard of medical staff from a hospital getting their flu jabs and the Epipen being 'at the ready' just in case.

 

People will lots of allergies often can't take many drugs and / or vaccines.

 

They're allergic to the other ingredients in the liquid. Some of them (not this one though) are grown in eggs and that can be an indicator of who's going to be allergic to it.

 

This is what's in the vaccine they're talking about :

 

 

[geisha]

Nothing to worry about as most people who have serious allergies know that they should not get ANY vaccin. The two health workers knew this and still took the vaccin and are fine. 

[Bkk Brian]

I hear there was also a 90 year old woman who received the vaccine, she was found a few hours later muttering something about installing windows 10 on her old gramophone player. I reckon Bill is waiting for a nice number of people to get the shot before issuing some secret commands. 

[Elkski]

What % of population is allergic  ?

[ignis]

 

Quote

People will lots of allergies often can't take many drugs and / or vaccines.

Maybe if we have to take a vaccine will need to stay at the Hospital for a couple of days ??

 

It is a right pain allergies, I found out about Tetanus + Penicillin at about  7 years old, + Never had the kids Vaccines.   have tried since same reactions,  + since then many other,  the Pneumonia Vaccine 6 weeks ago almost killed me, so cannot have part 2....  been over 5 years of trying to find a BP Pill I am not allergic to, every 6 months when the  allergies gets so bad the Dr at Hospital try another, guess there is not many left to try...  So say need the Shingles Vaccine next month, = No risk ? or is there,   @ 70 what is worse getting Singles or the bad reaction to the Vaccine ?   same with the Covid 19 Vaccine think will give that a miss

 

The list of Vaccines and Drugs I cannot take get longer..

[mommysboy]

1 hour ago, Elkski said:

What % of population is allergic  ?

 

Referring to people prone to serious allergies: the BBC mentioned 150,000 in the UK (population around 70 million).

 

Surely the people carrying epi-pens should have been aware of potential problems, because reaction to medicines/vaccinations are a known thing it seems.

 

 

[mommysboy]

Now, someone who doesn't have a history of serious allergies has had the same reaction.  I suppose you have to put this in the context of thousands of people who experience no such reaction, but this particular vaccine is a cause for concern, given that it is quite experimental.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9060697/Alaska-healthcare-worker-suffered-allergic-reaction-Pfizers-coronavirus-vaccine.html

[Kiujunn]

7 hours ago, mommysboy said:

Now, someone who doesn't have a history of serious allergies has had the same reaction.  I suppose you have to put this in the context of thousands of people who experience no such reaction, but this particular vaccine is a cause for concern, given that it is quite experimental.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9060697/Alaska-healthcare-worker-suffered-allergic-reaction-Pfizers-coronavirus-vaccine.html

It's true even it was in the Daily Mail

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/health/covid-pfizer-vaccine-allergic-reaction.html