US begins study on allergic reactions to Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 vaccines after serious reactions reported

The United States has begun study on allergic reaction risk in Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as doubts grow over full efficacy of the American COVID-19 vaccines.  

The US National Institutes of Health said Wednesday it had begun a mid-stage study to determine
the risk of allergic reactions to Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccinations.

This came after such reactions, including life-threatening episodes, known as anaphylaxis, were reported in the United States after vaccinations of Pfizer and Moderna shots.

“The public understandably has been concerned about reports of rare, severe allergic reactions to the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines,” said Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

“The information gathered during this trial will help doctors advise people who are highly allergic or have a mast cell disorder about the risks and benefits of receiving these two vaccines,” Fauci noted.

In January, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said allergic reactions are occurring at a rate of over 11 per one million vaccinations.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are the first two COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the UA Food and Drug Administration for emergency use and already have been given to millions of Americans.

Most of the severe allergic reactions to these vaccines have occurred in people with a history of allergies. A substantial number of these people had previously experienced a anaphylaxis reaction.

The NIAID-funded study will enroll 3,400 adults between the ages of 18 to 69, with about 60% participants having a history of severe allergic reactions to food, insect stings or immunotherapy.

The goal of the trial is to access the proportion of participants who have a systemic allergic reaction within 90 minutes after injection.

Michigan cases rise despite vaccine

The northern US state of Michigan has seeing more COVID-19 infections by population than any other US state, with health officials expressing concern over rising cases despite a stepped-up vaccination campaign.

Joneigh Khaldun, the state's chief medical executive, warned of a "significant increase" in COVID cases.

"Our hospitalizations are going up as well. Michiganders need to double down and take the steps to help stop the spread of this virus," she said.

Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), said her staff were "working closely" with the state of Michigan and its health officials.

"We have CDC teams on the ground working to assess outbreaks in correctional facilities," adding, "We're working to facilitate increased testing that is happening on the ground in the context of youth sports."

Walensky said the CDC was also seeking to "understand what is happening" with COVID-19 variants.

The number of new COVID cases has begun to rise again in the United States Despite administering more than three million vaccinations a day nationally, and there have been around 63,000 new cases a day on average during the last week.

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