Two healthcare workers in the UK have suffered serious adverse reactions to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
The workers were given the vaccine on Tuesday – the first day of the UK’s mass vaccination programme – and both suffered an “anaphylactoid reaction” shortly afterwards.
It is understood both staff members have a significant history of allergic reactions – to the extent where they need to carry an adrenaline injector or EpiPen with them.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has released a statement saying an investigation into the cause of the adverse reactions had been made a priority.
“Once all the information has been reviewed we will communicate updated advice,” the statement read.
The MHRA has meanwhile issued a warning to people with a history of serious allergic reactions to not receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Medical Director for the National Health Service in England, Stephen Powis said in a statement that both affected patients were “recovering well” following their adverse reactions to the vaccine.
“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,” Professor Powis said.
The medical regulatory body has also advised that vaccinations should not be carried out in facilities that did not have resuscitation equipment on hand.
Pfizer and BioNTech said they were working with investigators “to better understand each case and its causes”.
“In the pivotal phase three clinical trial, this vaccine was generally well tolerated with no serious safety concerns reported by the independent Data Monitoring Committee,” the companies said in a statement.
However, documents published by the two companies have shown that people with a history of severe allergic reactions were excluded from the trials
