Vaccine poses low risk for adults with high-risk allergies

Highly allergic adults can safely receive the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech, a new study suggests.

Among the 8,102 patients with allergies in the Israeli study, 95% received the shots in routine settings because their risk of a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine was low, and no such reactions were reported.

The remaining 429 patients, who were considered to be highly allergic, received the vaccines under careful supervision and were observed for two hours afterward.

Nine had allergic reactions, including three who showed signs of potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis.

All responded to treatment with epinephrine and no one had to be hospitalized, according to a report published on Tuesday in JAMA Network Open.

An editorial published with the study said lessons from this study of allergic reactions to the Pfizer vaccine are likely “generalizable to the Moderna” shot as well.