Two healthcare workers in Alaska has had a severe allergic reaction to Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech’s (NASDAQ:BNTX) COVID-19 vaccine, the New York Times reported, but experts say that the vaccine is still safe for the general public.
The first worker, a middle-aged woman, with no history of allergies experienced anaphylactic reaction just 10 minutes after receiving a shot at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau.
She experienced a rash over her face and torso, shortness of breath and an elevated heart rate. The symptoms resolved after being administered with allergy treatment epinephrine and steroids. The patient was still in hospital being monitored on Wednesday.
The second worker received his shot on Wednesday and developed eye puffiness, lightheadedness and a scratchy throat 10 minutes after the injection, the hospital said in a statement.
He was treated with epinephrine, Pepcid and Benadryl and the worker was back to normal within an hour and released.
The episode follows reports of a handful of similar reactions in the U.K., where health officials advised that anyone with a history of severe allergies shouldn’t take the Pfizer vaccine.
Pfizer is coordinating with local officials, will closely monitor all reports suggesting serious allergic reactions and will update labeling language if needed, spokeswoman Jerica Pitts said in a statement.
Storage of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is also challenging as it must be kept at ultracold temperatures in specialized freezers and containers.
Four delivery trays of the shot were pulled back from delivery to California and Alabama this week and sent back to the company because they were colder than anticipated, according to Gustave Perna, chief operations officer of Operation Warp Speed.
Each of the trays can likely be used to vaccinate 975 people. Pfizer's formula needs to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius, equivalent to -94 degrees Fahrenheit.
U.S. officials also said that Pfizer would deliver about 900,000 fewer doses next week than the 2.9M available this week when the first shots shipped.
Administration of the vaccine began Monday in the U.S., following emergency-use authorization last week.