US doctor suffers severe allergic reaction to Moderna COVID vaccine
A Boston doctor with a shellfish allergy said he developed a severe allergic reaction minutes after receiving Moderna's coronavirus vaccine on Thursday, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing the doctor. This happened in the first week of the nationwide rollout for the company’s shots.
According to New York Times, Dr Hossein Sadrzadeh, a geriatric oncology fellow at Boston Medical Center, said he had a severe reaction almost immediately after being vaccinated, feeling dizzy and with a racing heart. The case was the first of its kind reported to be linked to Moderna’s vaccine.
So far, however, Federal agencies are investigating at least six cases involving people who suffered anaphylaxis after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which contains similar ingredients, during the first few weeks of its distribution in the United States, NYT reported.
Meanwhile, David Kibbe, a spokesman at the Boston Medical Center, said in a statement on Friday that Dr Sadrzadeh "felt he was developing an allergic reaction and was allowed to self-administer his personal epi-pen. He was taken to the Emergency Department, evaluated, treated, observed and discharged. He is doing well today."
Last week, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the Moderna coronavirus vaccine for emergency use for people aged 18 years and above. Moderna had said that approximately 20 million doses will be delivered to the US government by the end of December 2020.
(With inputs from agencies)
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