Deputy charge nurse Katie McIntosh administers the very first of 2 Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine jabs, to Vivien McKay Clinical Nurse Manager at the Western General Hospital, on the very first day of the biggest immunisation program in the British history, in Edinburgh, Scotland Britain December 8, 2020.
Andrew Milligan | Reuters
LONDON — People who have a history of “significant” allergies must not get the coronavirus vaccine established by Pfizer and BioNTech, the U.K. drug regulator stated Wednesday.
The U.K’s Medicines and Healthcare items Regulatory Agency upgraded its assistance to British health service trusts on who must get the vaccine after 2 members of Britain’s National Health Service experienced allergies to the shot. Both are recuperating well, according to the nationwide medical director for the NHS.
“Any person with a history of a significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food (such as previous history of anaphylactoid reaction or those who have been advised to carry an adrenaline autoinjector) should not receive the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine,” the regulative company stated.
Stephen Powis, nationwide medical director for the NHS, stated such a safety measure “is common with new vaccines.”
The U.K. was the very first nation to authorize and administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. On Tuesday, it started a huge vaccination drive beginning in medical facilities, with health and care house employees and those over age 80 initially in line to be inoculated.
Dr. June Raine, head of the MHRA, informed a U.K. federal government choose committee on Wednesday that the regulator would preserve “real-time vigilance” of the vaccine now that it is being released.
“Even last evening we were looking at two case reports of allergic reactions,” she stated.
“We know from the extensive clinical trials that this was not a feature, but if we need to strengthen our advice now that we have had this experience in vulnerable populations, the groups selected as a priority, we get that advice to the field immediately.”
