The vaccination campaign against Covid-19 began on December 27, 2020. To date, nearly 500,000 people have been vaccinated in France. Several questions about vaccination come up regularly, especially about the risks of allergy after the injection of the vaccine.
Can the vaccine cause severe allergic reactions?
According to the French Allergology Federation (FFAL), people with allergies represent around 30% of the French population. The organization recently published a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to answer all questions about the coronavirus vaccination.
"The vaccine is only contraindicated for patients with an allergy to polyethylene glycol (PEG), present in Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines and Moderna, or polysorbate, present in the Astra-Zeneca vaccine and in certain vaccines and drugs ", can we read in a press release from the FFAL. People who need to be careful are those who have already developed allergic reactions after a vaccine or injectable treatment containing either of these two substances.
"All other patients with respiratory allergy (pollens, mites …), food or drug, including in their severe forms, are not affected by this contraindication and can be vaccinated ", underlined the institution.
Covid-19 vaccine: four patients developed allergic responses
So far, only four people have had a severe allergic reaction. The patients developed skin conditions, a drop in blood pressure or even anaphylactic shock, a severe allergic response which can lead to the death of the patient.
Before vaccination, should an allergic person consult an allergist? "Patients who have had a severe reaction (asthma attack, anaphylactic shock, diarrhea, etc.) after taking a drug, but who no longer know which one, must do a check-up with an allergist before the vaccine. But all the others, no! ", warned Frédéric de Blay, the president of the French Allergology Federation to 20 minutes.
Allergic reactions often start one hour after the vaccine is injected. In rare cases, side effects may appear several days after vaccination. Allergic responses are often characterized by local reactions around the injection site. Some patients may develop hives, facial edema and / or respiratory genes. If a patient has an allergy to the first dose of the vaccine, they should not receive the second injection.
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