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By Jessica Singh ('22)
With the approval of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines just last month, NBC reports that, as of today, approximately 11 million doses were administered in about a month since the vaccine’s release date.
While the distribution of these vaccines has been generally successful, there are a few bumps in the road.
According to a December 22, 2020 article from the New York Times, two health care workers in Alaska were hospitalized after receiving the Pfizer vaccine. Within 10 minutes of the injection, they both developed serious allergic reactions. The first health care worker had no history of allergies but had symptoms of an anaphylactic reaction. She broke out in a rash on her face and torso. Additionally, she experienced shortness of breath and an elevated heart rate. The second health care worker had developed swelling around the eyes, lightheadedness, and an itchy throat. Hospitals treated both reactions immediately, and their condition improved significantly.
On January 21, 2020, Cheryl Brennan, a woman from San Diego, was another unlucky vaccine recipient. Based on an article from FOX News, just after 18 minutes of receiving the vaccine, Brennan started noticing an allergic reaction. She told FOX, “At 18 minutes, it was like my throat started closing. My blood pressure went to 185 over 125, which I guess is very life-threatening… They hooked up electrodes. They put ice packs on me.” Brennan added that several healthcare professionals were helping her, and within 45 minutes, they managed to bring her blood pressure back down.
Although these two health care workers and Brennan experienced this reaction to the vaccine, this should not be a major concern to the general public.
According to a January 16, 2020 article from Forbes, the CDC, using data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), concluded that there would be about 11 people from every million doses administered who experienced an anaphylactic reaction.
With the chances of getting a reaction to the vaccine being .000011, it seems almost insignificant to the majority of people taking the vaccine. This risk is extremely small for a vaccine with a 95% success rate, one of the highest for any vaccine. To put this in perspective, the 2020 influenza vaccine had a success rate of 45%.
After hearing that the chance of getting a severe reaction and side effects is eleven in a million, are you more likely to get vaccinated? Fill out the Google Form poll below!
All photos from Getty Images
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