Latest CDC Update Clinicians Should Know When It Comes To COVID-19 Vaccine Reactions

At least 21 people in the U.S. have had serious allergic reactions to one of the two COVID-19 vaccines available on the market as the first few million doses of vaccine were administered last month, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this week.

"I want to reassure you, this is still a rare outcome," Nancy Messonnier, M.D., head of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a media briefing Wednesday. 

However, the CDC said, individuals who have a reaction after their first dose of the vaccine should not get the second dose, officials said. What else should clinicians know as they field questions from patients about this new vaccine?