Adm. Brett Giroir, who oversees the White House's coronavirus testing strategy, on Sunday addressed "scattered reports" of allergic reactions among people who have received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. "Any time there's any adverse effect, that's immediately reported to the [Food and Drug Administration], the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] investigates," he told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on This Week.
Giroir said anything that gets reported is taken very seriously, but he also wanted to make it clear that the incidents that have occurred have not altered the consensus view that the vaccine is safe to use. He added that many of the suspected allergic reactions involve "tingling" and an "elevated heart rate," which could stem from hyperventilation around the vaccine, rather than a response to the shot itself, and he also acknowledged that allergic reactions are a risk for any vaccine. Still, he said, "we're going to watch these absolutely carefully." Tim O'Donnell
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 low ratings cartoons about the Late Show cancellationCartoons Artists take on early warning signs, the Gen Z stare, and more
-
Connie Francis: Superstar of the early 1960s pop sceneIn the Spotlight The 'Pretty Little Baby' and 'Stupid Cupid' singer has died aged 87
-
Crossword: July 26, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year highSpeed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, changeSpeed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panelspeed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kidsSpeed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sickspeed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last yearspeed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive orderspeed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measlesSpeed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
