COLUMBUS, Ohio — If you have a history of reaction to any vaccination or a component of it, be sure to talk with your health care provider before you get the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the CDC, there have been 21 cases of anaphylactic reactions from the first 1.11 million doses of the vaccine.
Scientists have highlighted that there is a specific component in the vaccine called polyethylene glycol or PEG-2000.
Allergist Dr. Summit Shah said the molecule is used to stabilize the vaccine.
“Twenty-one patients out of 1.8 million that had been vaccinated, it was that 17 actually had a history of allergies or allergic reactions,” Dr. Shah said. “The current CDC guideline is that if you have a history of reaction to any vaccination or to a component of anything in the COVID vaccine, specifically like PEG, you should be evaluated by a board-certified allergist.”
Dr. Shah and the team at his practice obtained the polyethylene glycol and tweaked a previously published protocol.
“We take the actual PEG-2000 and dilute it down and then test patients to see if they have a reaction on their skin of that component,” Dr. Shah said.
Dr. Shah added that only carrying an EpiPen to get the COVID-19 vaccine may not be sufficient and recommends anyone with a history of reactions to vaccines be evaluated by an allergist.