A British pharmacy regulator has dropped a bombshell warning: people with significant allergic reactions should not take the still experimental Covid-19 vaccine.
The MHRA warned Wednesday that people who have experienced “powerful allergic overreactions” should avoid taking the experimental Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccines.
The warning comes after 2 people reported adverse reactions after taking the Pfizer mRNA vaccines last week.
At least 2 volunteers in the Pfizer and Moderna trials have died after getting the vaccine in clinical trials in the U.S.
The adverse reactions spell trouble for the already risky vaccination program here in the U.S. where the elderly in nursing homes will be the first guinea pigs.
Dr. Sandra Fryhofer warned that patients will have some “rough side effects” from the vaccine that will last a day to a week. She said some healthcare workers who take the vaccine may have to call out sick the next day.
She is concerned that her patients will not return for the second dose if they are feeling poorly after the first dose.
“We really need to make patients aware that this is not going to be a walk in the park,” Fryhofer said. “They are going to know they had a vaccine. They are probably not going to feel wonderful. But they’ve got to come back for that second dose.”
One North Carolina woman who participated in the Moderna trials said, “The first dose is no big deal. And then the second dose will definitely put you down for the day for sure. You will need to take a day off after the second dose.”
Researchers don’t know the longterm effects of the mRNA vaccine, since the FDA has never approved mRNA vaccines for use in humans.
