Pfizer's vaccine triggers allergies in 2 UK recipients, regulators issue new guidelines

In the United Kingdom, regulators have issued new guidelines regarding COVID-19 vaccination, warning people with a history of significant allergic reactions to not take the Pfizer vaccine. This comes after two recipients reported allergies following being inoculated as part of the vaccination drive started in the country on Tuesday. The two recipients are health care professionals working with the National Health Services (NHS) and fall under the category prioritised by the UK government.

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The NHS medical director Professor Stephen Powis said that the two patients are recovering well. The chief executive of the UK regulatory body informed lawmakers about the two cases and said that allergies were not reported during the extensive trial of the vaccine before approval. Pfizer and BioNTech have said that they are in touch with the NHS and are looking into each case individually to identify the cause. The document published by the two companies also suggested that allergic people were not included in the trials. 

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UK approves COVID-19 vaccine

The British regulators approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine on December 2, making way for the first vaccination drive in the West. The UK has set-up over 50 vaccination centres across the country and has also issued guidance for health practitioners about the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination programme. High-risk groups including doctors and other frontline workers have been prioritised for the vaccination drive that is being run by the National Health Service (NHS).

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People with underlying health conditions, children, and pregnant women have been left out of the vaccination drive in the United Kingdom due to no data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines on these groups. The government has reportedly received 8,00,000 doses of Pfizer's vaccine, which should be enough for 4,00,000 people given the two-dose process recommended by the firm. As per reports, the UK is expected to receive additional doses of the vaccine by the end of this year.  

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(Image Credit: AP)