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Original poster

Regulators warning over possible allergic reaction to Pfizer jab if you have significant allergies

160 replies

CrunchyCarrot · 09/12/2020 10:28

UK regulators warn people with history of 'significant' allergic reactions not to have Pfizer/BioNTech jab

Saw this flash up on the news just now.

news.sky.com/story/covid-19-vaccine-uk-regulators-warn-people-with-history-of-significant-allergic-reactions-not-to-have-pfizer-biontech-jab-12155916

Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for the NHS in England, said: "As is common with new vaccines the MHRA have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination after two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday. Both are recovering well."

Something to consider if you do have significant allergies.

OP posts:
trulydelicious · 10/12/2020 11:02

@peridito

I can't escape the thought that they were noble volunteers who were part of an attempt to test the safety of the vaccine on those with severe allergies

Also, why are we talking about 'noble volunteers' who are 'testing the safety'?

Hasn't the vaccine been approved already and is supposed to be safe? That's what people will be assuming when they go to get the vaccine aren't they?

peridito · 10/12/2020 11:20

gosh - I'm absolutely NOT blaming anyone .Sorry if my post read that way . Completely unintentional .

catnoir1 · 10/12/2020 11:36

I'm allergic to preservatives in certain medications, no one has been able to work out which preservatives I'm specifically allergic too.

I'm now in 2 minds about the vaccine. I would absolutely love to get it but can't chance a bad reaction.

Bubblemonkey · 10/12/2020 12:06

What do they consider “significant allergies”? I reacted badly to mefenamic acid which put me in resus & is now down as an allergy.

OpheliasCrayon · 10/12/2020 12:27

@Bubblemonkey

What do they consider “significant allergies”? I reacted badly to mefenamic acid which put me in resus & is now down as an allergy.
Honestly having experienced the same from other meds....Im considering reactions like that as significant. I have others which have been significant in other ways but yes if I were you I'd include that
angelofthenorth72 · 10/12/2020 13:16

I wonder, what do they consider "significant allergies"?

I have coeliac disease (autommune condition) which means I'm in one of the groups to get the vaccine. I have the flu jab every year and don't usually react to vaccines, but am wondering if the Covid vaccine will be "safe" even though I'm in a group that SHOULD have it.

oneglassandpuzzled · 10/12/2020 16:22

Coeliac isn't really an allergy, though.

angelofthenorth72 · 10/12/2020 16:45

@oneglass I KNOW that. I am, however, nonetheless worried about it triggering a "glutening"-type reaction.

trulydelicious · 10/12/2020 16:54

@angelofthenorth72

Please see two threads below regarding Covid vaccines and autoimmunity

On one of these there was a reference from CrunchyCarrot to the BMJ and the possible molecular mimicry triggered by the vaccine spike protein (similar to what is believed gluten does)

Also your gastroenterology specialist consultant should be able to confirm in due course I think

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4092402-Auto-Immune-disease-and-Vaccine?msgid=102160861#102160861

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4088231-Autoimmune-populations-and-the-vaccine?msgid=102034588#102034588

oneglassandpuzzled · 10/12/2020 16:56

[quote angelofthenorth72]@oneglass I KNOW that. I am, however, nonetheless worried about it triggering a "glutening"-type reaction.[/quote]
Sorry, your first paragraph mentioning allergy confused me.

oneglassandpuzzled · 10/12/2020 16:57

I have a son with coeliac.

angelofthenorth72 · 11/12/2020 15:44

Thanks for the links @oneglassandpuzzled - I knew I'd seen a discussion somewhere, but couldn't remember where. Bookmarked for reading later.

Looks like a call to the gastroenterology department is on the cards then (if they'll even advise me - the consultant that I saw when I was diagnosed discharged me after my first annual review & basically said "Stick to the diet. We don't need to see you any more").

oneglassandpuzzled · 11/12/2020 15:58

Oh, I think that was truly who posted the links, angel.

I don't even know if my son is still under a gastroenterologist for his coeliac. He's away from home and has moved house quite a bit.

trulydelicious · 12/12/2020 00:09

@oneglassandpuzzled

I don't even know if my son is still under a gastroenterologist for his coeliac

Yes, and if you ask me, it should ideally be an immunologist who should give the go ahead even

Signalbox · 12/12/2020 19:07

The flu consent form, that you sign, asks for allergic reactions. I see from posts here people don’t read it

I've had the flu jab for the last 20 years and I've never been asked to sign anything. I am asked my name, if I am well today and if I've had the jab before and then they jab me and send me on my way.

Circumlocutious · 12/12/2020 20:32

@Signalbox

The flu consent form, that you sign, asks for allergic reactions. I see from posts here people don’t read it

I've had the flu jab for the last 20 years and I've never been asked to sign anything. I am asked my name, if I am well today and if I've had the jab before and then they jab me and send me on my way.

It seems like people have completely different experiences. I had mine at a hospital last week and also had to sign a consent form - there were questions asking ‘is this person allergic to such and such’; if you tick YES, guidance to the nurse is ‘do not administer the vaccine’.
LemonTT · 13/12/2020 14:15

@Signalbox

The flu consent form, that you sign, asks for allergic reactions. I see from posts here people don’t read it

I've had the flu jab for the last 20 years and I've never been asked to sign anything. I am asked my name, if I am well today and if I've had the jab before and then they jab me and send me on my way.

That’s safe in general practice where they have your medical history. Outside of that forms and questions are used to confirm this. In an occupational health setting, it would be a form.
Signalbox · 13/12/2020 15:55

That’s safe in general practice where they have your medical history. Outside of that forms and questions are used to confirm this. In an occupational health setting, it would be a form

I didn't say it wasn't safe. I was remarking that not everyone gets a consent form when they have their flu jab. You didn't state that you were only talking about "occupational health settings" when you commented that The flu consent form, that you sign, asks for allergic reactions. I see from posts here people don’t read it.

ancientgran · 13/12/2020 15:57

I didn't sign a consent form when I had my flu jab at a pharmacy, they definitely didn't know my medical history unless my GP shared it which I don't think he can do?

alreadytaken · 13/12/2020 16:21

American FDA is giving different advice so will be interesting to see what happens there and if uk advice changes www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vaccines-allergies/most-americans-with-allergies-should-be-safe-to-get-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-fda-idUSKBN28M0SU

LemonTT · 13/12/2020 20:20

[quote alreadytaken]American FDA is giving different advice so will be interesting to see what happens there and if uk advice changes www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vaccines-allergies/most-americans-with-allergies-should-be-safe-to-get-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-fda-idUSKBN28M0SU[/quote]
It’s not different. The alert in the Uk was not about people with general allergies. It was about risk of anaphylaxis in people with specified severe allergic conditions.

alreadytaken · 13/12/2020 21:49

The advice in the uk excludes anyone who has ever had anaphylaxis. The American (and possibly other countries) advice is that only those allergic to components of this vaccine or who has had reactions to other vaccines are excluded. So that means those with anaphylactic reactions to insect stings or food can be vaccinated. There are a lot of them.

trulydelicious · 13/12/2020 22:37

@alreadytaken

Is it clear already what the two NHS workers were previously allergic to (i.e. why they were carrying Epipens)?

How can the American and UK guidance be so different?

alreadytaken · 15/12/2020 17:31

We are taking the "abundance of caution" line, America is more desperate. Apparently there were people with allergies in the trials, although it's not clear if those people had anaphylactic allergies, so the FDA decided they could have it.

I guess it'll be reviewed here sometime, probably when the Americans and Canadians have done a few vaccinations too.

trulydelicious · 16/12/2020 22:32

A health care worker in Alaska had a serious allergic reaction after getting Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday

In this case they report the person did not have a previous history of allergies

www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/health/covid-pfizer-vaccine-allergic-reaction.html