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The CDC has released its first set of data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
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So far, only 29 people out of the five million vaccinated have had allergic reactions after vaccination in the US.
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“Our vaccine safety systems have not picked up any alarming signals,” CDC Nancy Messonnier said Wednesday in a call to reporters.
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People with a history of anaphylaxis should wait 30 minutes after vaccination before returning home to make sure they are ready.
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The only adults the CDC recommends NOT to vaccinate are those who have had severe reaction to a previous COVID-19 shot.
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The chance of severe allergic reactions after COVID-19 vaccination seems rather slim.
According to initial data released on allergic reactions after vaccination from the U.S. Centers and Disease Control, only 29 cases of confirmed anaphylaxis have been reported among the 5 million Americans who have received shots of Moderna or Pfizer so far.
“Our vaccine safety systems have not picked up any alarming signals,” CDC’s Nancy Messonnier said Wednesday during a call with reporters. “This means that the known and potential benefits of current COVID-19 vaccines currently outweigh the known and potential risks of getting COVID-19.”
The CDC monitors bad vaccine reactions in a few different ways. One is a new SMS system that they use to ask patients for symptoms after receiving their first (of two) shots. This new self-report goes hand in hand with the existing Vaccine Disorders (VAERS) system, which is co-managed by the CDC and FDA.
The only adults recommended by the CDC so far not taking a dose of COVID-19 vaccine are those who respond poorly to their first shot.
All others must be ready to receive a vaccine when it is their turn. But people with a history of severe allergies may want to be extra careful, the CDC said, and talk to the person administering their vaccine before getting it.
This is the first comprehensive report on reactions
More than 350,000 people have died so far in COVID-19 in the US, and about 2000 die every day.
Both Moderna and Pfizer’s shots began rolling in the arms of health care workers and elderly Americans in late December.
Although there have been widespread news reports of severe allergic reactions after vaccination in both the US and the UK, the CDC’s new report is the first comprehensive version of confirmed anaphylactic reactions after COVID-19 vaccination in the US.
These reactions took place in the first and a half weeks of the distribution of vaccines, from 14 to 23 December, when Pfizer’s vaccine was available to health workers and residents of nursing homes across the country.
In the weeks since, the CDC has confirmed at least eight other cases of anaplasia, with at least one occurring after the administration of the Moderna vaccine, for a total of 29 reactions nationwide.
Allergic patients should talk to their vaccine and wait 30 minutes before going home
The data suggest that allergic reactions after vaccination are extremely rare, but that there were trends.
Among the 21 people who had anaphylaxis after the first shots in December, four had a history of allergies to sulfa drugs, and two had allergies to the egg. Four patients had no allergies at all, and the majority had never before had an anaphylactic reaction to anything, which made it difficult to draw firm conclusions about what could have caused these events.
Most reactions occurred within 15 minutes of vaccination, so the CDC recommends that suppliers have epinephrine ready (for the treatment of allergic reactions) at the vaccination site.
Among the 21 cases recorded by the CDC, 19 patients received epinephrine injections. At least four patients were admitted to the hospital, with problems such as wheezing, rash and in at least one case problems with breathing, but all recovered.
“It is important that everyone who has had anaphylaxis talk to them about their vaccination, and make sure that if they choose to be vaccinated, they should wait the 30 minutes,” said Dr. Thomas Clark, who followed allergic reactions after vaccination at the CDC. on the call.
“You know, a lot, a lot of people with a history of allergies have been vaccinated inconveniently.”
That said, the anaphylaxis rate after COVID-19 vaccination, about 11.1 cases per 1 million doses, is about 10 times higher than with flu vaccinations.
“The anaphylaxis rate per COVID-19 vaccine may seem high compared to flu vaccines, but I want to assure you that it is still a rare outcome,” Messonnier said.
Dr Paul Offit, a vaccination expert who served on the independent advisory committee at the FDA for the authorization of Pfizer and Moderna, says it is important that both the FDA and CDC monitor the safety of these new vaccines, but it also becomes important. the victim of ‘the tyranny of small numbers’ and includes a link between rare problems (such as paralysis of the clock) and the vaccine.
“Although a health event can occur after being vaccinated, the vaccine is not always the cause,” Messonnier said.
Do you have a story to share the vaccine? Contact Public Health Reporter Hilary Brueck by email.
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