Age: 47.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: COVID19, COVID19
Symptoms: Pruritus, Sneezing, Vaccination site pruritus, Vaccination site urticaria
Clinical narrative: itching in her eardrums, her face, nose and everything/inside of her ears/between her fingers, hands, feet/back/sides/itching all day; one hive came up around the injection site; sneezed 3 or 4 times/sneezing 5-6 times all day/sneezing all day; arm was itching where she got the injection site at; This is a spontaneous report from a contactable consumer (patient). A 47-year-old female patient received the first dose of BNT162B2 (PFIZER-BIONTECH COVID-19 VACCINE, lot number EL0142), intramuscularly on the upper left arm (also reported as in humerus area), on 23Jan2021 11:00, at single dose, for covid-19 immunization. Medical history included allergies to shellfish and medications; allergic to cats and dogs; had to go to the emergency room with an allergic reaction; hypothyroidism from 2008 and ongoing; asthmatic from an unspecified date and ongoing (diagnosed with asthma as a kid, (maybe at 5 years old); asthma was well controlled and she has an asthma inhaler she uses like once a month); light GERD from 2018 and ongoing; recovering from a meniscus tear in her knee that occurred on 21Aug2020 - she had surgery for it on 23Oct2020; anterior uveitis of the eyes and; partially blind in her eyes. Concomitant medications included adalimumab (HUMIRA) and methotrexate - both from an unspecified date and ongoing for anterior uveitis of the eyes which the patient clarified was a condition where her retina swells and its defined as an autoimmune problem. She informed that she was partially blind in her eyes but something about the methotrexate and Humira in which she was able to see now. The patient stated that she received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine last Saturday, 23Jan2021 at 11 AM. Later that evening of 23Jan2021, she started itching in her eardrums, her face, nose and everything, and one hive came up around the injection site. She has been extremely itchy since she took it. Also, she sneezed 3 or 4 times later that evening of 23Jan2021. It's pretty unusual for her to sneeze. She stated she used to take allergy shots, so she doesn't really sneeze at all. Between the time of 10:40- 10:45pm that night, on 23Jan2021 she sneezed three consecutive times. Then she went to lay down, and she noticed on 23Jan2021 that her arm was itching where she got the injection site at. She noticed she had one hive at the injection site. She confirmed she only had one hive. She did start to itch all over- her face and nose was itching. She has had an allergic reaction before, (medical history) and it wasn't a type of reaction where she needed more than one hand to scratch; it was just a subtle itch. She informed that she should have been aware when she started sneezing because she never sneezed. She has been sneezing 5-6 times all day. Then she took Benadryl at 18:00 which was helping. She waited the allotted 15 minutes after taking it and she was fine; she had no problems at all. But as soon as it wore out, she began itching and sneezing. After an hour she took another because the inside of her ears was still itching; the itching went deep down into her ears. She had itching of her face, arms in between her fingers, hands, her feet (only the top of her feet, not the bottom), and her back. She was itching a little bit on her sides. The itching was basically all over, but she only had one hive. She had one hive at the injection site, so she assumed it was probably due to the vaccination. Then the hive was gone. However, she still feels itching mainly in her nose, arm and back, just like that night following the injection. She was still itching for some reason. She got up on Sunday 24Jan2021 and everything was gone. She confirmed the hives, the itching, everything was gone. She didn't take anything on Sunday. Yesterday, 26Jan2021 she noticed a little slight itch, but she didn't pay any attention to it and didn't worry about taking any Benadryl. Today, 27Jan2021, she has been itching and sneezing all day. Like right now, her foot was itching but the itching has kind of subsided a little bit. But all day her nose has been a little itchy. She added that she was allergic to cats and dogs (she doesn't own any pets), so if she gets in the vicinity of any cats or dogs, her nose starts itching. Her nose has had the same kind of itching and sneezing all day long. She hasn't had any testing. She didn't go to an emergency room only because it wasn't bad enough. If her throat was itching or swelling, then she would have been ready to go to the ER at 1am. Also, if she would have had shortness of breathing or her throat/tongue started itching, she would have gone to the emergency room. She stated that once her ear stopped itching, she was fine. She wanted to know if her experience was reported as a side effect of the vaccine. She mentioned that she definitely wants to take the second dosage, but she was a little apprehensive. She was scared it may be worse with the second vaccine. Now that she received the vaccine, she was unable to access an HCP at her job and primary care facility. So, she called her primary care physician who prescribed her an EpiPen in case she receives the second dose of the vaccine. Her doctor also instructed her to take Benadryl a day or two after the injection. She did call (privacy) since they were the ones who did the injection. She informed that she did all her research beforehand because she was a little apprehensive to get the first vaccine. She already had to go to the emergency room with an allergic reaction before. She told one of the nurse practitioners about her itching all the time and; she was told that that was common. She explained that, everybody that she has come into contact with that has had this vaccine, no one has had any problems with itching. Itching was not mentioned on any of the information she has read, the research she has done, the news, or if she goes on the website there wasn't any mention of itching. There were things like headaches and other symptoms but nothing about itching and hives. She then requested to speak to someone about itching being a side effect of the vaccine. She was a little apprehensive about getting the second vaccine so she would like further information. The final outcome of the adverse events was unknown.