Covid vaccines ruled safe for people with food and medicine allergies

Both coronavirus vaccines have been deemed safe for people with allergies to food and medicine (Picture: AFP)

People with allergies to food and medicine can be given the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/Astra-Zeneca vaccines, the UK’s medicine watchdog has confirmed. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) told a Wednesday morning press briefing that both vaccines are safe for people with a range of allergies. However, anyone with a known history of reacting to either of the vaccines or any specific ingredients in them should not have them, added experts. Chief Executive Dr June Raine said: ‘The only people who are advised not to have either of the vaccines are those with allergies who’ve had reactions to any of the ingredients. That’s very clear now.’

Both coronavirus vaccines have been deemed safe for people with allergies to food and medicine (Picture: AFP)

The MHRA had previously told the public that those with a range of allergies should not be given the Pfizer vaccine in particular. But Dr Raine said growing evidence from a pool of at least 800,000 people in the UK and about 1.5 million in the US who have had Pfizer’s vaccine have ‘raised no additional concerns’.

A patient receives the first of two injections with a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in a surgery in Wolverhampton (Picture: Reuters)

She continued: ‘[This] gives us further assurance that the risk of anaphylaxis can be managed through standard clinical guidance and an observation period following vaccination of at least 15 minutes. ‘And so the Commission on Human Medicines has now advised that anyone with allergy to food or other medicine or vaccine can have the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. ‘Of course, anyone with a history of allergic reaction to this vaccine, or its ingredients, should not.’ Dr Raine also said the dose interval for the Pfizer vaccine has been increased from 21 days after the first dose to at least 21 days. She added: ‘So this allows for a potentially longer interval, compared with the previous advice that was 21 days. And the conditions for use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine stress that this is in accordance with national guidance.’

 

Source:metro.co.uk/2020/12/30