At least 29 people in the U.S. have developed severe allergic reactions to Covid-19 vaccines, federal health officials said Wednesday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the rate was much higher than for the seasonal flu vaccine. But the severe reactions were rare and resulted in no deaths, and this encouraged the use of the shots.
The CDC said the 29 cases as of January 5 consist of more than 5.3 million doses administered so far.
The rate of 5.5 cases of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction, for every million doses of Covid-19 vaccine administered so far, compares with the rate of 1.3 cases for every million doses of flu vaccine, according to the CDC.
Cases of anaphylaxis are still “extremely rare,” said Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, leading the agency’s Covid-19 vaccination efforts.