Thousands in the United Kingdom are the first to receive Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
In the United States, Pfizer will have its vaccine review with the FDA tomorrow, December 10.
Margaret Keenan, 90, is the first patient in the United Kingdom to receive the Pfizer/BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine. (Getty Images photo by Jacob King)
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine rollout continues in the United Kingdom after healthcare workers and elderly individuals became the first in the world to receive the shot.
But after two healthcare workers suffered adverse reactions to the vaccine, National Health Service England warned that people with a "significant history of allergic reactions" should not be given the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, according to CNN. Both staff members reportedly had a significant history of allergic reactions and carried adrenaline autoinjectors.
Most reactions have been mild and have been compared to what is experienced after getting a flu shot, such as a sore arm at the injection site. Thousands in the UK were vaccinated on Tuesday.
The vaccine offers some protection after the first dose, but two doses are required for full protection, according to documents released Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration, ahead of Pfizer's meeting with the FDA tomorrow. The Pfizer vaccine is reportedly 95% effective in protecting against the coronavirus.
In the United States, Pfizer and Moderna are ready to go with their COVID-19 vaccines, according to Operation Warp Speed, with distribution to front-line workers and patients in long-term care facilities to be the first in this country to start receiving the vaccines this month.
Both drug companies have filed for emergency use authorization with the Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA's vaccine advisory committee will review emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine on Thursday, December 10, and the Moderna vaccine on Thursday, December 17.
See our continuing vaccine coverage here:
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Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com
