A Boston doctor experienced a “serious” reaction minutes after he was vaccinated with Moderna’s vaccine on Christmas Eve.
The New York Times reports that the reaction is the first of its kind linked to the Moderna vaccine, which was rolled out in the United States last week.
What are the details?
Dr Hossein Sadrzadeh, a geriatric oncologist at Boston Medical Center, had a severe anaphylactic reaction immediately after receiving the Moderna shot. Dr Sadrzadeh told the Times the allergic reaction was the same as he had experienced with shellfish.
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He said his heart rate rose to 150 beats per minute within minutes of vaccination within minutes, about twice his normal cadence; his tongue tingles and numbs. Before long, he was drenched in sweat and felt dizzy and faint. His blood pressure also dropped, he said. His immune system, he realized, was in revolt.
“It was the same anaphylactic reaction I experienced with shellfish,” Dr Sadrzadeh said. Dr. Sadrzadeh used his EpiPen and was taken on a stretcher to the emergency room, where he was given various medications, including steroids and Benadryl, to calm the immune responses that overwhelmed his body. A report of his visit states that he was “seen in the ER due to shortness of breath, dizziness, palpitations and numbness after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.”
“He was taken to the emergency department, evaluated, treated, observed and discharged. He is doing well today,” said David Kibbe, a spokesman for Boston Medical Center, in a statement.
What causes the reactions?
There have been numerous allergic reactions to coronavirus vaccines. The Food and Drug Administration said the week before Christmas that officials were investigating reactions that took place in several states with the Pfizer vaccine, which was rolled out one week before the Modern vaccine.
Although experts are not yet sure what caused the reactions, officials say the vaccines are safe.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has nevertheless issued updated guidelines on vaccination for Americans with a history of severe allergic reactions.
“If you have ever had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient in a COVID-19 vaccine, CDC recommends that you do not receive the specific vaccine. If you have had a severe allergic reaction to other vaccines or injectable treatments “your doctor should tell you if you need a COVID-19 vaccine. Your doctor will help you decide if it is safe to be vaccinated,” reads the new guideline.
Meanwhile, dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s center for biological evaluation and research, identified polyethylene glycol as the possible “culprit” behind the reactions.
The ingredient is present in both Pfizer’s vaccine and Moderna’s vaccine.
As of Sunday, more than 9.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been distributed across the United States and nearly 2 million Americans have been vaccinated, according to CDC data.