Alaska healthcare worker has severe allergic reaction to vaccine

WASHINGTON • A healthcare worker in Alaska who had a serious allergic reaction after being injected with Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine has recovered after an overnight stay in hospital, but the incident has intensified concerns about the vaccine's side effects.

The middle-aged worker had no history of allergies but had an anaphylactic reaction that began 10 minutes after receiving the vaccine on Tuesday at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, Alaska, a hospital official said.

She experienced a rash over her face and torso, shortness of breath and an elevated heart rate.

Dr Lindy Jones, the hospital's emergency department medical director, said the worker was first given a shot of epinephrine, a standard treatment for severe allergic reactions. Her symptoms subsided but then re-emerged, and she was treated with steroids and an epinephrine drip.

When doctors tried to stop the drip, her symptoms re-emerged, so she was moved to the intensive care unit, observed throughout the night, then weaned off the drip early on Wednesday, Dr Jones said.

He said the woman felt well, remained enthusiastic about the vaccine and was set to be discharged later on Wednesday.

"She is healthy and she is doing well," Dr Jones said.

Although the Pfizer vaccine was shown to be safe and about 95 per cent effective in a clinical trial involving 44,000 participants, the Alaska case will likely intensify concerns about possible side effects.

Experts described the woman's symptoms as potentially life-threatening and said they may prompt calls for tighter guidelines to ensure recipients are carefully monitored for adverse reactions.

Government officials were scrambling on Wednesday to learn more about the case, according to three people familiar with their response. With millions of Americans expected to be vaccinated by the end of the year, the incident is likely to prompt federal officials to be even more watchful for any sign of serious side effects.

The Alaska woman's reaction was believed to be similar to the anaphylactic reactions two health workers in Britain experienced after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last week. Both of them recovered. The reaction was likely to be discussed yesterday, when Food and Drug Administration scientists were scheduled to meet an outside panel of experts to evaluate Moderna's coronavirus vaccine, which uses the same kind of technology as Pfizer's.

Although the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are similar in ingredients, it is not clear whether an allergic reaction to one would occur with the other.

Both consist of genetic material called mRNA encased in a bubble made from a mixture of fats.

The two companies use different fats. Pfizer's trial in the United States involving more than 40,000 people did not find any serious adverse events caused by the vaccine, although many participants did experience aches, fevers and other side effects.

Severe allergic reactions to vaccines are typically linked to the vaccine because of their timing.

A Pfizer spokesman, Ms Jerica Pitts, said the company does not yet have all the details of the Alaska case, but is working with the local health authorities.

The vaccine comes with information warning that medical treatment should be available in case of a rare anaphylactic event, she said.

"We will closely monitor all reports suggestive of serious allergic reactions following vaccination and update labelling language if needed," she added.

After the workers in Britain fell ill, the authorities there initially warned against giving the vaccines to anyone with a history of severe allergic reactions.

They later clarified their concerns, changing the wording from "severe allergic reactions" to specify that the vaccine should not be given to anyone who has ever had an anaphylactic reaction to a food, medicine or vaccine.

That type of reaction to a vaccine is "very rare", they said.

Pfizer officials have said the two people in Britain who experienced the reaction had a history of severe allergies.

In the US, federal regulators last Friday issued a broad authorisation for the vaccine to be given to adults 16 years and older.

Healthcare providers were warned not to give the vaccine to anyone with a "known history of a severe allergic reaction" to any component of the vaccine, which they said was a standard warning for vaccines.

NYTIMES