“People allergic to any ingredient of COVID-19 vaccine should not take it”

Srinagar: The Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Wednesday said people who are allergic to any ingredient of COVID-19 vaccine should not receive the jab.

“If you are allergic to any component of the vaccine, you are advised not to take it,” DAK president and influenza expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan said.

However, he said if a person has history of allergic reactions that aren't related to COVID-19 vaccine such as food, medicine, latex, insects and environmental triggers, he can have the vaccine.

Dr Hassan said there are two COVID-19 vaccines that are being used in Kashmir right now - Covaxin and Covishield which have two-dose schedule given as an injection in the deltoid muscle of the upper arm.

“Covaxin contains inactivated/killed coronavirus and the other ingredients of the vaccine are Aluminum hydroxide gel, TLR 7/8 agonist (imidazoquinolinone), 2-phenoxyethanol, and phosphate buffered saline,” he said.

“Covishield contains weakened adenovirus encoding Covid-19 spike protein. The other components in the vaccine are L-histidine, L-histidine hydrochloride monohydrate, magnesium chloride hexahydrate, polysorbate 80, ethanol, sucrose, sodium chloride, disodium edetate dihydrate and water for injection,” he said.

“If you are allergic to any of the aforementioned compounds, you should avoid the vaccine,” he added.

The DAK president said, “In case you were earlier not aware of your allergy to the ingredients in the vaccine and you have already taken the first dose and developed allergic reaction, you should not take the second dose of that vaccine”.

“CDC recommends that people who have got allergic reaction to the first dose of one vaccine can get second dose from a different vaccine,” he said.

“But these persons should have the vaccine in a setting able to treat anaphylaxis. And, they should be observed for at least 30 minutes after the injection to monitor any severe allergic reaction,” he said.

“Allergic reaction can cause rashes, swelling, hives and discomfort. And in severe cases it can cause drop in blood pressure, throat swelling and respiratory distress,” he added. (UNI)