I’m really bummed that I’ve now moved to the bottom of the vaccine list. I hope they can drill down on what allergies can be triggered. As best I know, my allergy is raw almonds. Most almonds are toasted, but after two episodes of partial throat swelling, I carry my Epi-Pen everywhere.
S has allergies to some tree nuts, peanuts and shellfish. I am really bummed about the food allergy connection with the vaccines.
Have they said specifically mentioned a food allergy connection or just severe allergies in general?
I think it specifically mentioned food allergies, unfortunately.
More than 30 years ago when I worked at a rural hospital in Africa I had a very strong allergic reaction to an unknown insect bite or sting, but it didn’t affect my airway. Just massive welts all over (as in, my entire back was one huge welt, each thigh was one huge welt etc.) I had to take high doses of steroids, plus antihistamines for several weeks. After that I carried a vial of epinephrine and a syringe whenever I drove out to the villages. However, it never happened again.
I’ve also never had a bad reaction to insect bites or stings here in the USA and have not carried epinephrine in 30 years.
I’m not sure what this means for me regarding the COVID vaccine. I guess that is a conversation I will have to have with my doctor, whenever my turn comes for the vaccine.
Unfortunately your doctor is probably going to give you, in effect, a big shrug.
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Hopefully Moderna’s vaccine will be different - or Johnson & Johnson’s when it’s ready. Since they’re made from different things, they might not trigger allergies.
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https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-vaccines-allergies-idUKKBN28M0SW
The Reuters article says that the US FDA “said that only people who have previously had severe allergic reactions to vaccines or ingredients in this particular vaccine should avoid getting the shot.”
However, it also says that “the British medicine regulator advised that anyone with a history of anaphylaxis to a medicine or food should not get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.”
The USA Today article says that “It was not immediately clear what triggered the allergic reactions. Unlike some vaccines, in the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine there are no preservatives or egg products, which have been known to trigger reactions with other types of vaccines.”
It also says that “Dr. Paul Offit told CNN early Wednesday that severe allergic reactions to vaccines occur in about one of every 1.4 million shots” and that he recommends finding what specific component of the vaccine affected the two patients.
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Yeah, I’ll probably just take the vaccine anyway and take my chances. My doc doesn’t know about my old history.
I’m allergic to scallops. No other shellfish. I have never carried an epipen because I can make the choice not to eat scallops.
@thumper1 you might still need to be careful about fried foods if the restaurant you are at fries scallops in the same vat as other foods.
Hmmm, I get an Epi pen every year but have only needed a shot of epiphedrine once, when allergists office gave me too high a dose of allergy shot.
I have shellfish allergies and very low lung function so my MDs like me to have an Epi pen. I’ve had it 20 years but fortunately never had throat closing or full anaphylactic reaction.
Will discuss all of this with my mds when it’s time for me to get vaccine.
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@thumper, I, too, am allergic to scallops! No other shellfish, just scallops. My reaction has always been of the digestive nature though - vomiting, horrible stomach cramps. It’s quite possible I outgrew the allergy (it’s been more than 30 years since I had one) but not willing to give it a try.
Surely among the 43,000 Pfeizer trial participants have life threwtening food allergies, right? They didnt exclude them from the trial? Was there no anaphylaxis among the trial participants?
Also, i heard on TWIV that benedryl resolved the British cases of “anaphylactoid”. I have a feeling that the advise will be to take an antihistamine before the shot. I am inclined for my teens with life threatening food allergies to get the vaccine.
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One of my teens carries an epipen for a peanut/tree-nut allergy. My husband is allergic to bees and shrimp (though the shrimp allergy only started a few years ago). Both are hoping to get the vaccine when possible - hopefully they are able to.
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I always ask at a restaurant. I don’t eat fried fish anyway.
I get hives from shrimp, prawns, scallops, crab and lobster. I can eat other shellfish and seafood.
I think they will learn more as more people get injected, just like other Rx and vaccinations. By the time they get to us non healthcare workers, they should have more info.
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ShawWife carries an epipen. She is allergic to peanuts. Until the last few years, eating peanuts or peanut butter would send her into anaphylactic shock. When she was a kid, her school would go on field trips and the kids would open up PB & J sandwiches in the school bus and end up taking her to the hospital from just the vapors. In recent years, her allergy has attenuated per the allergy testing. Still sensitive but no anaphylactic shock.
She is still highly allergic to dogs, cats, mold, dust, and a host of other things and doesn’t do well with dairy or gluten (other members of her family are celiac). No anaphylactic shock from that, though.
She has had serious respiratory issues over the last few years (we had mold somewhere in old house). We moved this year and her breathing is a lot less compromised. But, her doctor said that she will be one of the patients in the first group to get the vaccine.
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Since I have significant respiratory issues, I expect to receive my vaccine relatively early. My mom is 91 and supposed to be living in her CCRC so she should get her vaccine early. H is 78 and taking a statin, so he should be early too. We will all be after healthcare workers.
All the things I’ve read for local and ‘national’ distribution do not show that the severity of your condition (diabetes, overweight, heart problems) moves you higher within your group. My mother is 85, has diabetes (not severe in any way), cancer (is having a double mastectomy on 12/21), but she’s not moving up to the next group because she doesn’t live in a nursing home. She has the same priority as everyone else (group 2B, I think).
I don’t think vaccinations will be available in drug stores any time soon. Here, when they start this week, they have set up vaccination stations, most at hospitals. They log you in, take you to a place to give the vaccine and observe you for 15-20minutes, then give you a card to come back for second shot, so entire thing is 30 minutes or so.
They have to work efficiently as they have to use all the vials from one box within a certain time (1 hour?) and they can only open the freezer box 2x per day. I don’t see any drug store or pharmacy having the space to have 15-20 people getting the vaccine and being observed for 15 minutes while running the rest of the pharmacy too.