Allergic reactions to vaccines are ‘one in a million’ says former immunisation director

Coronavirus - Wed Dec 9, 2020
Anaphylaxis from a vaccine dosage is ‘very rare’
PA
Luke O'Reilly10 December 2020

Allergic reactions to vaccines are 'one in a million' a former Department of Health director has said.

It comes after two NHS staff members had allergic reactions after receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Tuesday.

The health workers, who are understood to both have a history of severe allergic reactions, were among thousands to receive the vaccine on the first day of the Covid-19 mass vaccination programme.

In response Dr June Raine, chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), told people with a history of life-threatening allergic reactions to a vaccine or food to not get the Pfizer Covid-19 jab

However, Professor David Salisbury, a former Department of Health director of immunisation, said that adverse reactions happen “of the order of about one in a million doses”.

“Severe adverse reactions, allergic ones to vaccines, do happen but they are very rare,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“They happen of the order of about one in a million doses. And everybody who administers vaccines in this country is trained to deal with them.”

Coronavirus - Wed Dec 9, 2020
Vaccine has met ‘robust standards of safety’
PA

Dr Raine said a group including experts on allergy and clinical immunology was convened on Wednesday to consider any possible mitigation to the “rare risk of anaphylaxis”.

She said: “Any person with a history of anaphylaxis to a vaccine, medicine or food should not receive the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine. A second dose should not be given to anyone who has experienced anaphylaxis following administration of the first dose of this vaccine.

“Anaphylaxis is a known, although very rare, side effect with any vaccine. Most people will not get anaphylaxis and the benefits in protecting people against Covid-19 outweigh the risks.”

Pfizer said the vaccine was “well tolerated” during the trials with “no serious safety concerns”.

Dr Raine added: “You can be completely confident that this vaccine has met the MHRA’s robust standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.

“The safety data has also been critically assessed by the government’s independent advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines. No vaccine would be approved unless it meets these stringent standards – on that you can be sure.”

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