US healthcare worker reports severe allergic reaction after taking Pfizer vaccine shot

An Alaskan healthcare worker on December 16 reported a severe allergic reaction some 10 minutes after she was administered with the Pfizer and BioNtech vaccine. According to NBC, the middle-aged woman employed at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, Alaska was hospitalized overnight and was administered the drug Benadryl. The patient did not have any history of allergies or anaphylaxis in the past. She reported feeling flushed shortly into the observation period, prompting the health officials to investigate the health of 96 other workers that received the shot for about 30 minutes. The woman’s symptoms worsened to elevated heart rate and shortness of breath as she was rushed to the emergency room. 

At a press briefing, the emergency physician Dr. Lindy Jones who treated the healthcare worker said that she was administered an emergency injection of intravenous epinephrine and had severe flush all over her face and torso. It appears to be an anaphylactic reaction, he added. The woman, Jones informed, was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit as her symptoms elevated but she hadn’t needed the ICU resources. The director of the emergency department further explained that the adverse reaction in some people might be reported and that the health officials had organized a little hospital at the site so if they’re concerned about anyone, they put them in the ICU. The woman was off medications and was now stable. 

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Warning for people with 'anaphylaxis'

Earlier, two similar allergic cases were reported in the UK, which prompted a warning from the US Food and Drug Administration to not administer the vaccine to anyone with allergies. The USFDA advised such people to seek a doctor’s consultation first. Meanwhile, the deputy director for Infectious Diseases at CDC, Dr. Jay Butler, told Politico that while this is the first and only case of allergic reaction from the vaccine in the US, it doesn’t mean it will be the last. More cases could be expected, he signalled. The US FDA authorized Pfizer's vaccine for emergency use last week, however, CDC warned people with a history of anaphylaxis must refrain from taking the vaccine. 

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