A health worker in Alaska was hospitalized after suffering a serious allergic reaction to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, according to a report.
The person is believed to have suffered an anaphylactic reaction similar to two patients in the UK, three people familiar with the US case told the New York Times.
The worker became ill Tuesday, a day after the new coronavirus vaccine rolled out to all 50 states. They are now in stable condition.
It’s not immediately clear if the person has a history of allergies. Officials in the US are working to learn more about the case.
The shot, developed by Pfizer and German biotechnology company BioNTech, caused an anaphylactic reaction in two health workers in the UK last week.
That prompted UK health officials to issue a warning that people who’ve had anaphylactic reactions to food, medicines or vaccines may not be able to get the COVID-19 inoculation.
One of the British patients who got sick was a 49-year-old woman with a history of egg allergies, Pfizer said. The other was a 40-year-old woman who had a history of allergies to certain medications.
Both carried devices, like EpiPens, to treat anaphylaxis. They have since recovered.
No serious adverse effects were reported in the more than 40,000 participants in Pfizer’s clinical trial.
The Food and Drug Administration, which approved the drug for use in the US on Friday, noted common side effects included headaches, muscle pain, chills, fatigue and pain at the injection site.
Pfizer didn’t immediately comment to the Times on the case in Alaska.
