POLLEN COUNT
At Oak Brook Allergists, we have been monitoring the situation closely regarding the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The clinical trial data can be reviewed here. In this post, we will give an overview of this vaccine and how it pertains to our patients with allergies.
What is the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine?
The Pfizer COVID-19 is a vaccine that may prevent you from getting COVID-19. On December 11, 2020, the FDA has authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 16 years of age or older. The vaccine is made of messenger RNA (mRNA). This mRNA provides instructions for your body’s cells to make their own COVID-19 spike proteins. These proteins then induce your body’s immune system to make antibodies that can help prevent against a future COVID-19 infection.
There is no way to catch COVID-19 from this type of vaccine because it is not made of a virus. The mRNA from this vaccine also does not interact with a person’s DNA. Therefore, your body cannot become mutated from this vaccine.
A two-dose regimen of this vaccine (spaced 21 days apart) conferred 95% protection to symptomatic COVID-19 in people ages 16 years and older. These results are very promising in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
The list of ingredients of the vaccine are the following:
Active Ingredient
- 30 mcg of a nucleosidemodified messenger RNA (modRNA) encoding the viral spike (S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2.
Fats
- lipids (0.43 mg (4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate), 0.05 mg 2[(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide, 0.09 mg 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3- phosphocholine, and 0.2 mg cholesterol)
Salts
- 0.01 mg potassium chloride
- 0.01 mg monobasic potassium phosphate
- 0.36 mg sodium chloride
- 0.07 mg dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate
Sugar
- 6 mg sucrose
Can I get the vaccine if I have severe allergies?
There have been reports coming from the United Kingdom that two people who received this COVID-19 vaccine experienced anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening reaction. However, at this time, we do not know much about these individuals. The circumstances surrounding these reactions are unclear. In general, the rate of anaphylaxis to any vaccine is exceedingly rare. Anaphylaxis to a vaccine occurs approximately once per 1 million doses.
While we continue to learn more about this situation, it is important to know that allergies are very specific. This means that if you have a severe allergy to something, then this does not mean that you will have a severe allergic reaction to this vaccine. As listed above, there are no food products or antibiotics in the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Therefore, the risk of developing a severe allergic reaction is very low.
If you are on an injectable biologic medication, you can still receive this vaccine.
Who should NOT get the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine?
The FDA and CDC recommend that you should not get this vaccine if you:
- had a severe allergic reaction after a previous dose of this vaccine
- had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient of this vaccine
How safe is the vaccine?
Anyone who receives the vaccine should be prepared for potential side effects that include pain, redness and swelling at the injection site. There may be fatigue, headaches, chills, and fever as well. These effects are normal for any vaccine to induce an immune response. In the initial vaccine trial, the rate of more serious vaccine-related events were less than 1% of participants. These included one case of shoulder injury, lymphadenopathy (i.e. swelling of a lymph node), and four cases of Bell’s palsy (a temporary weakness in muscles of the face).
Based on analyzing the current data, the perceived benefits of this vaccine for the individual and community far outweigh any potential risks.
Want to learn more?
Further information on the vaccine can be found here from the FDA.
We will continue to update you as much information becomes available.
