No serious adverse effects were observed in France during this second week of vaccination with Pfizer / BioNTech’s vaccine against Covid-19, the Medicines Agency (ANSM) said on January 8.

“A case of non-serious adverse effect has been recorded in the national pharmacovigilance database. It concerns a temporary decrease in certain immune cells (lymphocytes)”, specifies the health agency in an information point.

Although already observed in clinical trials, this non-serious side effect has not yet been included in the package insert.

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Testimonials from doctors

Many caregivers over the age of 50, priority to obtain the vaccine, shared their experience on social networks. A few of them experienced mild effects, such as pain at the injection site.

Personal vaccination point # Covid_19 #PfizerBioNTech

I was vaccinated 44 hours ago.
Nothing, no more pain at the injection site (a beautiful blue needle).
No fever, no particular signs, in good shape. https://t.co/pBFGOrGpng

– The Doc (@Le___Doc) January 8, 2021

In the responses to this tweet, other caregivers go further, recounting their experience without side effects of this vaccine.

Monitoring of allergic reactions

The ANSM says it is “also attentive to the reports of adverse effects that have occurred in other countries” in which this vaccine marketed under the name of Comirnaty is used. The analysis of allergic reaction cases that she requested from a pharmacovigilance center “confirms the extremely rare occurrence of serious allergic reactions”.

This vigilance on cases of serious allergies continues with the aim of better identifying possible people at risk of allergic reactions. The day after the start of the vaccination campaign with the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine in the United Kingdom, two cases of severe allergy had marked the spirits.

But “it is possible to vaccinate with the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine patients who have a serious drug or food allergy,” the French Allergology Federation stressed on Monday. The contraindication only concerns patients who are allergic to one or other of the ingredients contained in this vaccine, she continued, mentioning in particular polyethylene glycol (PEG) which could be implicated.

Read also: Vaccines against covid-19: how health authorities will monitor side effects

International vigilance

The ongoing analysis of the adverse effects reported with vaccines against Covid-19 continues and will extend to Moderna vaccine, the second vaccine authorized in Europe (since January 6) and based on the same technology (messenger RNA ) than that of Pfizer / BioNTech.

The first weekly report on cases reported in France will be made available as soon as a greater number of adverse effects have been reported, notes the ANSM.

France approached Thursday evening a total of 50,000 people who received the injection, while the government had set itself the goal of completing the first phase of vaccination in nursing homes, which concerns about 1 million people, during January and February .