BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A Boston Medical Center doctor was the first known person to report a severe allergic reaction to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine on Christmas Eve.
Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh, a geriatric hematology oncology fellow at BMC, said within moments of being administered the Moderna vaccine Thursday afternoon, he felt his heart rate quickly increase.
As the Boston Globe reports, Dr. Sadrzadeh said his tongue and throat start tingling and going numb within minutes. He said he also started sweating, feeling cold and looking pale, and his blood pressure plummeted.
Dr. Sadrzadeh, who also has a severe allergy to shellfish, injected himself with his own EpiPen which he brought with him to the vaccine appointment. He was then taken to the hospital's emergency department for treatment and evaluation before being discharged Thursday night, the Globe reports.
Although allergic reactions to Pfizer and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines have so far been rare, the U.S. Center for Disease control and Prevention says they can happen. More than one million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the U.S. so far. There have been six severe allergic reactions to Pfizer's vaccine to date.
"If you have had a severe allergic reaction—also known as anaphylaxis—to any ingredient in the Moderna vaccine, you should not get vaccinated," the CDC says. "If you have had a severe allergic reaction to other vaccines or injectable therapies, you should ask your doctor if you should get a COVID-19 vaccine. Your doctor will help you decide if it is safe for you to get vaccinated."
The CDC also recommends people with a history of severe allergic reactions not related to vaccines or injectable medications, such as allergies to food, pet, venom, environmental, or latex, may still get vaccinated. And, if like Dr. Sadrzadeh you have a severe allergic reaction after getting the first shot, the CDC says you should not get the second shot.
To date, more than one million people kn the U.S. have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, and So far, the most commonly reported side effects to the first part of Moderna's two-dose coronavirus vaccine have been fatigue, headaches, and muscle pain.
According to the state Department of Public Health, 35,524 people in Massachusetts had received the first dose of a two-part COVID-19 vaccine by Thursday 5 p.m.
A Moderna spokesman said the company would look into the matter.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App
Written by Brit Smith
(Photo: Getty Images)