Pfizer vaccine: Anaphylaxis ‘rare’ but more common than with flu vax

Findings from the initial US rollout underline the need for careful screening of recipients, health authorities say

Anaphylaxis following administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine can be considered ‘rare’ although reported cases are nearly 10 times higher than for flu vaccine, US health authorities say.

The US CDC has analysed data on reported allergic reactions to the vaccine, which uses new messenger RNA technology, finding 21 cases of anaphylaxis among recipients of nearly 1.9 million doses.