Anaphylactic reactions may be more likely with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines than other traditional vaccines (1 in 100,000 vs. 1 in 1,000,000); likely a reaction to carrier used to protect RNA component (polyethylene glycol, PEG), rather than the vaccine per se. nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…
Persons with a history of allergic reactions associated with polyethylene glycol (or reactions to any of the other components listed) should avoid mRNA vaccines, and receive a different type of vaccine instead.
Note that other kinds of allergies (e.g., hay fever), are not expected to cause a problem.
There is no need to avoid the mRNA vaccines unless there is a specific history of allergic reactions to polyethylene glycol, or the other ingredients of the vaccines.
The risk of an anaphylactic reaction remains extremely low at 1 in 100,000.
These are good odds! 💉🙂
Addendum: more detailed information on who can safely take an mRNA vaccine can be found on the CDC website: cdc.gov/vaccines/covid…
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The evidence is in, and the UK variant does appear to be of great concern. The viral load of infected people is higher, and it seems to be about 50% more transmissible. It doesn’t appear to cause more severe illness, but more cases will unfortunately result in greater mortality.
The estimated viral load of people infected with the new variant is substantially higher, although it is not yet clear why. Further laboratory studies will hopefully explain this. medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
In contrast to early speculation, children do not appear to be markedly more susceptible to the new variant.
(1/4) If I understand correctly, this is potentially dangerous. Rapid testing is to be rolled out in UK schools, but only staff are to be tested regularly. Students will only be tested if they are close contacts.
🔰 dfemedia.blog.gov.uk/2020/12/15/mas…
➡️ Both staff and students should be regularly tested. A proactive approach is required. Find the cases in students before they have a chance to transmit!
➡️ Primary school students should also be tested, not just secondary students. Young children transmit the virus too.
(3/4)
➡️ The rapid test to be used (a lateral flow test) has been shown to give false negatives half of the time.
Because close contacts will no longer quarantine under this programme, it’s likely some will go on to infect others. bmj.com/content/371/bm…
(1/10) Follow-up study of household contacts of people with #COVID19, showing it’s possible to prevent transmission at home.
Daily testing showed some people may not test positive for long. One child was positive for only 2 days. Cases are easily missed. wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27…
(2/10) This was a study of 5 households in Utah, conducted by the CDC. Each household had one index case. CDC staff visited each household within 2-4 days of the index cases’ positive test (day 0), for the next 4 days (day 1-4), and 14 days later. Contacts were tested each visit.
(3/10) In 3 of the 5 households, there was no transmission to other household members (0%).
In the other 2 households, all family members were infected (100%).
Overall, 7 of the total 15 contacts were infected (47%).
(2/5) The children with mild illness included hospital patients in which #SARSCoV2 had been identified in routine testing before admission (unrelated to #COVID19).
As such, it is possible they may not be representative of mild cases generally.
(3/5) It is unclear what the long-term implications of this study are. It is possible these findings are fully reversible.
1. Updated thread on children & #COVID19, summarising recent research.
Summary: further evidence children and adults are equally susceptible, and similarly likely to transmit. Schools have been a driver of the second wave in Europe, Canada, and elsewhere. #edutwitter#auspol
2. First, a recap. Given similar exposure, children and adults appear equally susceptible to infection, and also appear to transmit at a similar rate. School transmission has been increasing in many countries.