Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Scientists Unsure What Triggered Allergic Reactions To COVID Shot
USA Today: 'Very Inconsistent': 2 Allergic Reactions In The UK To COVID-19 Vaccine Puzzle Researchers
Allergic reactions were not a significant problem in the U.S. trial in which more than 20,000 people have received both two doses of the vaccine, but the U.S. trials kept out subjects who have had severe allergic reactions, said Moncef Slaoui, co-head of Operation Warp Speed – the government program tasked with developing, manufacturing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines. (Weintraub, 12/9)
Reuters: Explainer: What Do The UK Allergic Reaction Cases Mean For Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine
British regulators initially responded by saying anyone with a history of a significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food should not take the shot. An adviser to the group later said it was “tweaking” advice in part to say a food allergy was not a risk. Late on Wednesday, the UK regulator said anyone with a history of anaphylaxis to a vaccine, medicine or food should not get the vaccine. (12/9)
AP: Allergic Reactions To Vaccines Rare, Short-Lived
Scientists say people can be sensitive to components in the shot, like gelatin or egg protein, or to the vaccine itself. People with egg allergies are sometimes advised not to get the flu shot, since that vaccine is mostly grown in chicken eggs. Common symptoms of an allergic reaction include a rash, skin irritation, coughing or trouble breathing. The exact ingredients used in Pfizer’s new COVID-19 vaccine are proprietary and are not publicly disclosed. The vaccine uses a new technology, and is coated in lipid nanoparticles, which have been used in drugs. (12/9)
The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccines Pose Potential Side Effects, Doctors Say
Kristen Choi, a participant in a Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine trial and a nursing professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the second shot left her with intense arm pain, chills, nausea and dizziness that evening. By the next morning, she had a 104.9-degree fever—the worst she has ever had. She took some acetaminophen, which helped with her fever. A clinical-trial research staffer told her that side effects like hers weren’t uncommon. While Dr. Choi can’t be sure she received the vaccine—the trial was double-blinded—she suspects she did, and says she wouldn’t have been able to see patients the day after she received the shot. (Toy, 12/9)
And misinformation over the COVID shot flourishes on Facebook —
USA Today: COVID Vaccine Misinformation Rages Out Of Control On Facebook, Twitter
Hours after Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother from the United Kingdom, became the first person to get the COVID-19 vaccine, anti-vaxxers claimed she didn’t exist, that she was dead and that she was part of a Bill Gates scheme to implant microchips. A USA TODAY analysis of one popular tweet claiming Keenan was a "crisis actress" shows how quickly this misinformation can spread. A tweet shared by @bankiegirl at 2:38pm UK time on Dec. 8 received over 400 retweets from accounts sharing hashtags like #DoNotComply and #WeDoNotConsent. (Guynn and Bajak, 12/9)
