Allergy and COVID-19 Vaccine – These are the most common questions

Vaccines cause an allergic reaction, but what about the COVID vaccine? Let’s clear up the misunderstandings!

Dr. Edit Hidvégi pulmonologist, gastroenterologist, doctor of the Buda Allergy Center, said what questions patients most often ask.

I’m allergic, can I have the vaccine?

There has been a misunderstanding of previously published news that coronavirus vaccination is not recommended for people with allergies. Many patients felt excluded from the vaccination cycle as more and more people had some form of allergy. In reality, however, vaccination is not recommended only for those who have been shown to be allergic to any of the ingredients, or who have already had anaphylaxis. The vaccine can therefore be given for all other allergies, such as pollen, food, dust mites, pets.

Photo: MTI / Balázs Mohai

Have I had anaphylaxis before, is the vaccine safe for me?

Anaphylaxis can be caused by several allergies, especially food, insect venom and drug allergies. However, the fact that we have previously experienced anaphylactic shock for some reason is not in itself an exclusive reason for vaccination. Dr. Edit Hidvégi he said that if someone had previously had anaphylactic shock, he or she had to undergo an investigation after it occurred, where exactly what had caused it was determined. The reason is that anaphylaxis is caused by one of the components of the vaccine. If the anaphylaxis was caused by someone else, the vaccine is considered safe. However, these individuals are vaccinated with special care in preparation for the recurrence of possible anaphylaxis.

What happens if anaphylaxis occurs after vaccination?

Stay in the doctor’s office for 30 minutes after vaccination under the supervision of a specialist. If it does occur, the symptoms of anaphylaxis will develop within this time. Choking, shortness of breath, sweating, pallor, facial edema are the initial symptoms of anaphylaxis. The vaccination site must be prepared to supply it. An effective drug intervention in the treatment of anaphylaxis is the immediate injection of epinephrine (adrenaline). This stops the symptoms from getting worse. With proper care, the anaphylactic reaction will cure without residual symptoms. Later, it is recommended that you consult a professional and investigate exactly what caused your complaints and avoid that particular ingredient in the future.

Photo: MTI / Balázs Mohai

How common is anaphylaxis after vaccination?

The incidence of vaccination with anaphylaxis has been reported by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in both Modern, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that both Pfizer-BioNtech vaccines are very rare. In the case of the latter, anaphylaxis occurred in one of hundreds of thousands of vaccinations in nearly two million vaccinations, 71% of which occurred within 15 minutes and were treated at the site.

When does an antihistamine help before vaccination?

An antihistamine acts on allergy symptoms by blocking the release of histamine in the body. It is therefore ineffective against anaphylaxis and cannot be prevented or treated with antihistamines. In some cases, however, it can be helpful – it does not hurt in any way – for example, in the case of histamine intolerance, it can help to prevent non-systemic, only local reactions such as redness, itching.

In summary dr. Edit Hidvégi said anaphylaxis was put at risk by those who had previously shown a severe allergic reaction to one of the components of the vaccine, as confirmed by a doctor. In their case, vaccination with a vaccine containing that ingredient is contraindicated. You can get another coronavirus vaccine if it does not contain the anaphylactic component.