A health care worker in Alaska suffered an adverse reaction just minutes after receiving Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The worker, a middle-aged woman, had an allergic reaction that included shortness of breath and flushing within 10 minutes of receiving the first dose of the two-part shot.
At the time of the incident, she was still being observed at Bartlett Hospital. After suffering the anaphylactic reaction she was hospitalized and monitored closely. Officials say she will not be receiving the second dose of the vaccine.
She had no prior history of allergies before receiving the shot and took a Benadryl to help relieve the symptoms but it did not work. After she was admitted to the emergency room she received epinephrine and the symptoms immediately subsided.
She is said to be feeling “well” and is in stable condition waiting to be released.
Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink said, “We expected that a side effect like this could occur after reports of anaphylaxis were made in England after people there received the Pfizer-BioBtech COVID-19 vaccine.
Zink noted that every location that has been approved to administer vaccinations in Alaska must have emergency medications on hand in case of an allergic reaction such as the one the health care worker experienced.
Alaska health officials said there would be no changes would be made to vaccine distribution plans following the incident, and the woman was willing and excited to receive the vaccine.
Out of thousands of people who have already received the vaccine, this is the first instance of an adverse reaction in the United States.
