Vaccine allergy? Experts say most past reactions not valid reason for exemptions
CBC
Dr. Mariam Hanna noticed an uptick in requests for allergy assessments in her Burlington, Ont., clinic after the province began implementing COVID-19 vaccine certificates last month.
Whether people have held off on getting vaccinated because of a past reaction, or are seeking an exemption to inoculation mandates, Hanna said a previous allergic response doesn't mean you can't get your shots.
Allergists across the country have safely inoculated most patients who come into their clinics, regardless of allergy history, she said.
"Be it as an excuse or a misunderstanding or some miscommunication there, we are certainly getting a lot of referrals because of (vaccine rules)," said Hanna, an assistant clinical professor at McMaster University.
"Most of the time, it isn't reason for exemption."
Hanna said many of the patients she assesses are concerned about previous reactions to non-COVID-19 vaccines. But because the mRNA jabs from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are different from typical inoculations, those past reactions usually don't come up again.
Other patients are concerned about receiving a second mRNA dose if they had an adverse reaction to the first. But she said many patients mistake common non-life threatening reactions — including rash or swelling at the injection site — for an allergy.
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