Experts: 2nd dose not advisable if 1st shot caused allergic reaction

MANILA, Philippines — Patients who experience an immediate allergic reaction to a Covid-19 vaccine after the first dose should not receive the second dose, according to immunology experts.

This is whether the reaction is mild, such as rashes, or severe, such as anaphylaxis or hypersensitivity to a foreign agent like a vaccine.

The advice was contained in a position paper issued by the Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (PSAAI) and was discussed on Friday in a webinar organized by the University of the Philippines.

According to the paper, patients who have a history of an allergic reaction or anaphylaxis to certain vaccine components should not receive the Covid-19 vaccines, and should instead be referred to an allergist for further evaluation.

It noted, however, that the risk of severe allergic reactions is rare.

Nevertheless, PSAAI recommended that Covid-19 vaccination centers place the recipients under observation for at least 30 minutes after inoculation.

While adverse reactions may occur after vaccination, they are usually mild, it stressed.

Benefits outweigh risks

The PSAAI said it came up with the paper “in response to the concerns of many health-care workers and the lay [public] regarding adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines.”

In the webinar, Dr. Regina Berba, an infectious disease specialist and the chair of the Hospital Infection Control Unit of the Philippine General Hospital, acknowledged that the Covid-19 vaccines so far available for use had been developed “very quickly.”

But she said these vaccines “have undergone phase 3 trials wherein the number of participants has been large enough that if [there] were major safety concerns, they should have been detected already.”

According to the paper, “The benefits of these vaccines to the general public far outweigh the potential risks of adverse reaction to Covid-19 vaccines, as well as to the risk of developing severe Covid-19 and death.”

More infections

The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday recorded 1,941 new Covid-19 infections, bringing the country’s total case count to 535,521.

In its daily health bulletin, the DOH said there were now 35,946 active cases, of which 88.4 percent have mild symptoms, 6.8 percent are asymptomatic, 2.2 percent are critical, 2.1 percent are severe and 0.48 percent are moderate.

Meanwhile, an additional 234 patients have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 488,465.

However, another 52 individuals have also died, which brought the death toll to 11,110, or 2.07 percent of the case tally.

The DOH said it had removed six duplicates from the total list. It also reclassified 42 recoveries as fatalities, after final validation.

Four laboratories failed to submit their data on time on Saturday.

New variant cases

On Friday night, the DOH confirmed the detection of eight new cases of the B117 variant of Covid-19 in the country—one in Liloan town, Cebu province; two in La Trinidad, Benguet; three cases in Bontoc, Mountain Province; and two returning overseas workers.

The additional patients’ cases brought the total number of B117 variant cases in the country to 25. —WITH A REPORT FROM PATRICIA DENISE M. CHIU