Alaska HCW First in U.S. to Have Allergic Reaction to COVID-19 Vaccine

THURSDAY, Dec. 17, 2020 (Healthday News) — An Alaska health care worker is the first person in the United States reported to suffer an allergic reaction to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Doctors said the worker at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau felt flushed within 10 minutes of receiving the vaccine on Tuesday and later had symptoms such as shortness of breath and an elevated heart rate, CNN reported.

Health officials have said they anticipate some allergic reactions and are ready to treat them.

“We expected that a side effect like this could occur after reports of anaphylaxis were made in England after people there received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine,” said Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer Anne Zink, M.D., CNN reported. “All sites that are approved to provide vaccinations in Alaska must have medications on hand to deal with an allergic reaction and that was the case in Juneau.”

CNN Article