--- title: "Some Are Getting Severe Allergic Reactions to the COVID Vaccine in the UK" description: "Health authorities in the UK are advising that those with a history of strong allergic reactions shouldn't get Pifzer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine." date: "2020-12-09" modified: "2020-12-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/severe-allergic-reactions-covid-vaccine-uk" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "vaccine" --- # Some Are Getting Severe Allergic Reactions to the COVID Vaccine in the UK ![Health authorities in the UK are advising that those with a history of strong allergic reactions shouldn't get Pifzer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine.]() *\Image: Image via Pixnio/Victor Tangermann\* Health authorities in the UK are advising that those with a history of strong allergic reactions should hold off on getting Pifzer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine, [*Reuters* reports](). The country became the first in the world [to approve]() and start administering the vaccine to the elderly and frontline workers this week, but two people who had the shot have already developed adverse allergic reactions. "As is common with new vaccines the \[Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency\] have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination, after two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday," National Health Service medical director Stephen Powis said in a statement. Luckily, "both are recovering well," according to Powis. While common, regulators were caught off guard. The allergic reactions, they said, didn't come up in the extensive tests for the vaccine — but that could be because people with a history of strong allergic reactions were excluded from the trials. "We know from the very extensive clinical trials \[of the vaccine\] that this wasn’t a feature," MHRA chief executive June Raine told lawmakers, as quoted by *Reuters*. The MHRA is now advising anybody with a previous history of "significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food" to skip their Pfizer COVID-19 shot. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()