It’s understood the pair, both nurses who were carrying adrenaline injector pens, developed an anaphylactoid reaction after receiving the vaccine on Tuesday.
Common symptoms of such a reaction include difficulty breathing, face and tongue swelling, dizziness and severe itching.
The updated advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) comes on the first day of the UK's mass vaccination roll-out. Britain is the first country in the world to begin vaccinations against Covid-19.
We have confirmed our guidance to vaccination centres on managing allergic reactions following #COVID19 vaccination with the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.
— MHRAgovuk (@MHRAgovuk) December 10, 2020
Read MHRA Chief Executive Dr June Raine's statement: https://t.co/jsZu6F89uP pic.twitter.com/zJhNicVWK3
“Any person with a history of anaphylaxis to a vaccine, medicine or food should not receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine,” said MHRA chief executive June Raine.
“A second dose should not be given to anyone who has experienced anaphylaxis following administration of the first dose of this vaccine.”
There are high hopes the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which showed up to 95 percent efficacy in late-stage trials, will help end the coronavirus pandemic.
