Moderna COVID vaccine triggers severe allergic reaction in US doctor

A doctor in the United States reported a severe allergic reaction after being administered Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. According to the New York Times, a doctor named Hossein Sadrzadeh with a history of shellfish allergy immediately developed a severe reaction after he was inoculated with Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. This is the first severe allergic reaction linked to Moderna's mRNA-based vaccine that was approved in the United States for public use last week. 

Read: COVID-19 Vaccine Update: CDC Issues Guidelines After Reports Surface Of Allergic Reactions

According to the report, Sadrzadeh, who is a geriatric oncology fellow at Boston Medical Centre, said that he developed a reaction immediately after receiving the drug. Sadrzadeh reportedly felt dizzy with a fast heart rate and was allowed to use his personal epinephrine autoinjector. He was taken to the emergency department, where he received treatment before being discharged. 

Read: US FDA Investigating Allergic Reactions To Pfizer's COVID Vaccine, Indicates The 'culprit'

Moderna received an emergency use authorisation by the United States Food and Drug Administration on December 18. The American pharmaceutical company then supplied the initial doses to the US government, which began administering it across the country to medical professionals as part of the Operation Warp Speed. US CDC has updated its guidelines advising people to not take the vaccine if they have a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient used in the COVID-19 vaccines. 

Read: COVID-19 Vaccine Triggers Severe Allergic Reaction In Second Alaskan Health Care Worker

FDA investigating five cases

The US FDA is already investigating five cases of allergic reactions that occurred in medical professionals who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. After the reactions in medical professionals were reported in the United States, Pfizer said that it did not test its vaccine on subjects with prior history of allergies and hence, doesn't have enough evidence to suggest how it will react on patients prone to allergies. 

The United Kingdom, which became the first country to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine earlier this month, also reported rection in at least one person, an elderly who was one of the first to receive the vaccine. Following the reaction, UK regulators revised their guidelines advising people with history of allergies to not take the vaccine. 

Read: US Healthcare Worker Reports Severe Allergic Reaction After Taking Pfizer Vaccine Shot