--- title: U.K. Reassures Public About Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Safety description: U.K. regulators are urging the public not to be alarmed after issuing a warning for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine following allergic reactions. canonical: https://time.com/5919258/pfizer-vaccine-allergies/ author: Billy Perrigo article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-12-09T11:35:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-01-22T06:09:49.000Z article:section: Health og:title: U.K. Reassures Public About Safety of COVID-19 Vaccine After Warning About Allergic Reactions og:description: U.K. regulators are urging the public not to be alarmed after issuing a warning for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine following allergic reactions. og:url: https://time.com/5919258/pfizer-vaccine-allergies/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltedd10f39f71d0716/698a150be76ad27a49638642/pfizer-biontech-vaccine.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: NHS Scotland Starts Covid-19 Vaccination Campaign og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: U.K. Reassures Public About Safety of COVID-19 Vaccine After Warning About Allergic Reactions twitter:description: U.K. regulators are urging the public not to be alarmed after issuing a warning for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine following allergic reactions. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltedd10f39f71d0716/698a150be76ad27a49638642/pfizer-biontech-vaccine.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- # U.K. Reassures Public About Safety of COVID-19 Vaccine After Issuing Warning About Allergic Reactions > Sponsored content. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: The U.K. Is Giving Out the First Doses of a COVID-19 Vaccine as the World Watches [Watch (HLS stream): The U.K. Is Giving Out the First Doses of a COVID-19 Vaccine as the World Watches](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Z3ZJ5HnF.m3u8) (1:03)  _Published 2020-12-08. U.K. health authorities rolled out the first doses of a widely tested and independently reviewed COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, starting a global immunization program that is expected to gain momentum as more serums win approval._ Updated: Jan 22, 2026 6:09 AM UTCPublished: Dec 9, 2020 11:35 AM UTC  by [Billy Perrigo](https://time.com/author/billy-perrigo/)  ## Billy Perrigo Correspondent Updated: Jan 22, 2026 6:09 AM UTCPublished: Dec 9, 2020 11:35 AM UTC Medical authorities in the U.K. are urging the public not to be alarmed after issuing a warning for the [newly approved COVID-19 vaccine](https://time.com/5918842/first-covid-19-vaccine-patients/). Three people developed “rare” allergic reactions to the [Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine](https://time.com/5917847/pfizer-cut-covid-19-vaccine-targets/) on Tuesday and Wednesday. As a result, the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said that any person with a history of anaphylactic reactions to vaccines, medicine or food should not receive the shot. It also said that vaccinations should only be carried out in places where resuscitation facilities are available. Regulators said anaphylaxis “is a known, although very rare, side effect with any vaccine.” All three patients—including two healthcare workers—are “recovering well.” “Most people will not get anaphylaxis and the benefits in protecting people against COVID-19 outweigh the risks,” the MHRA said. The [advice](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/confirmation-of-guidance-to-vaccination-centres-on-managing-allergic-reactions-following-covid-19-vaccination-with-the-pfizer-biontech-vaccine) came just a day after hospitals began administering the [vaccine](https://time.com/5911543/pfizer-vaccine-cold-storage/) to patients and medics on Tuesday, making the U.K. the first country to roll out a fully-tested vaccine. Canadian regulators approved the vaccine on Wednesday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is [expected to approve the Pfizer vaccine](https://time.com/5919077/fda-pfizer-vaccine-data/) in the coming days. **Read more:** [_FDA Finds Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 Vaccine Safe and Effective_](https://time.com/5919077/fda-pfizer-vaccine-data/) Two people who received the vaccine in the U.K. on Tuesday, both medical staff with a history of anaphylactic reactions, developed allergic responses the same day. On Wednesday evening, British regulators said a third person had suffered a “possible allergic reaction” after receiving the vaccine. The new guidance says: “Any person with a history of anaphylaxis to a vaccine, medicine or food should not receive the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine,” according to a statement issued by the MHRA on Wednesday evening. “A second dose should not be given to anyone who has experienced anaphylaxis following administration of the first dose of this vaccine.” The MHRA, which became the first medical regulator in the world to approve the Pfizer vaccine on Dec. 2, said the news of the reactions did not impact its assessment of the vaccine’s overall safety. “You can be completely confident that this vaccine has met the MHRA’s robust standards of safety, quality and effectiveness. The safety data has also been critically assessed by the government’s independent advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines. No vaccine would be approved unless it meets these stringent standards – on that you can be sure.” The statement went on: “We have in place a robust and proactive safety monitoring strategy for COVID-19 vaccines which allows for rapid, real-time safety monitoring at population level. 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