Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support people who wish to be vaccinated against covid-19 but are allergic to ingredients in the covid-19 vaccines available in the UK.

The UK Health Security Agency’s Green Book provides advice for clinicians to assess individuals with a history of allergy who may suffer a reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine. It also sets out how second dose vaccinations may be considered for those who experienced a reaction to the first. The advice has been developed with the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI).

The guidance states that anyone with a history of allergic reaction to an ingredient in a COVID-19 vaccine should not receive it except on expert advice. Those with any other allergies, including those with prior anaphylaxis, may receive the vaccine. If an individual has an allergic reaction to a first dose of vaccine, the BSACI has advised that they may be able to receive a second dose of vaccine. Many individuals have tolerated subsequent doses of the same vaccine and this is preferred as it avoids being incorrectly labelled as allergic for life. Individuals with non-allergic reactions to the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine can receive the second dose of vaccine in any vaccination setting.