Local doctor addresses food allergy concerns over COVID-19 vaccine

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SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- With COVID-19 vaccinations now underway, early reports of allergic reactions have many people with food allergies wondering whether they should go ahead and get the vaccine.

As the coronavirus pandemic nears the one-year mark this spring, vaccinations are well underway and are offering hope for an end to the deaths and infections.

Between the Pfizer and Massachusetts-based Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, the CDC reports more than 10 million Americans have received at least the first of two doses.

“The vast majority of people who’ve gotten the vaccine do fine” said Dr. Jonathan Bayuk, president of Allergy and Immunology Associates of New England.

While it will likely be a few months before the shots are available to the general public, reports of allergic reactions among have some people wondering if the vaccine is safe for them to get.

That's why Western Mass News is getting answers from Bayuk. He said there’s nothing to worry about.

“There’s no relationship with being allergic to any of those things - gluten, food of any type,” Bayuk noted.

He told Western Mass News that allergists will play a role in this process to guide people through it all.

“When you go and you think about what you’re doing and getting the vaccine, you potentially being part of ending a pandemic that changed the world forever and so there’s it’s a lot that goes on with anxiety, so I think a lot of it’s reassurance and giving people the information that they need to make the right choice, which is to get the vaccine,” Bayuk explained.

For those suffering from celiac disease or have a gluten allergy, Bayuk said you are safe to be vaccinated. He said people who are allergic to other vaccines or medications can reach out to their doctor if they have questions, but said not to worry.

Those with allergies to polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polysorbate, however, should consider not getting the vaccine, but Bayuk said those conditions are very rare.

While he has seen people have a reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine, he said they’ve been able to give almost every one of them a second dose safely.

“I want to reassure people that it's ok to get it and you should because the sooner we all get it, the sooner we're going to move past this,” Bayuk said.

You find more information online from the CDC on allergies relating to the COVID-19 vaccine.