Concerns Grow About Severe Allergic Reactions To Covid Vaccines

CDC study: Severe allergic reactions to coronavirus vaccines happening at a higher rate than flu vaccines

By Arsenio Toledo

Federal health officials have announced that severe allergic reactions to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines are happening at a higher rate than similar reactions to flu vaccines.

This announcement was made by health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who came out with a study, published in the journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, saying that the allergic reactions, known as anaphylaxis, are happening at a rate of 11.1 per million doses administered. Seventy-one percent of the reactions are occurring within half an hour of vaccination. On the other hand, flu vaccines are only estimated to cause 1.3 cases per million doses.

Despite the fact that people are multiple times more likely to get an allergic reaction to a coronavirus vaccine than the flu vaccine, CDC officials still want to call the incident very rare.

“The anaphylaxis rate for COVID-19 vaccines may seem high compared to flu vaccines, but I want to reassure you, this is still a rare outcome,” said Dr. Nancy Messonnier during a call with reporters. Messonnier is the director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

“It’s still a good value proposition,” she added. “Even if the rate is higher than what we see after routine immunizations, anaphylaxis still remains rare.”

Despite the reassurance, Messonnier said that the CDC has been constantly updating its recommendations as allergic reactions and other “adverse events” are reported.

The CDC has further advised people who experience an allergic reaction to the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to not get the second dose. Health workers who administer the vaccines have also been directed to observe anyone with a history of anaphylaxis or a history of allergic reactions to vaccines for at least 30 minutes after they are vaccinated. (Related: UK to deploy “resuscitation facilities” in coronavirus vaccination centers to treat wave of allergic reactions caused by vaccines.)

CDC messaging regarding the matter of vaccinations for people with a history of allergic reactions has also been very confusing. While they stress that the benefits of getting vaccinated far outweigh the risks, they have warned people with a history of allergic reactions to any of the components in the vaccines to not get them.

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