She would run to the GGD this afternoon to get a shot. But unfortunately. 69-year-old Jenneke Kievit belongs to the exceptional group that cannot be vaccinated. Even though she really wants it.
“I have a very serious allergy to two excipients. They occur in all vaccines. If I get vaccinated, my blood pressure drops,” says Kievit.
Dangerous
It can all go wrong in a matter of seconds. The Amsterdammer has had anaphylactic shock twice in the past. “It happened years ago, after a prick against tennis elbow. It was an immediate hit. My blood pressure dropped completely in no time. Within ten minutes I was fortunately in the emergency room.”
The chances of this happening again are too great. “I’m not going to take that risk. I’m condemned to continuous self-isolation.”
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Maurits van Maaren of the Dutch Association of Allergology and Clinical Immunology treats patients with severe allergic diseases. “We do not yet know exactly which components or excipients in the vaccines cause these severe and acute allergic reactions in these people,” says the allergist.
The size of the group is not yet known. “An estimated several hundred.”
Van Maaren does have good news for this group. Behind the scenes, we have been working hard in collaboration with RIVM, the Ministry of Health and allergists to find a solution.
Prick in the hospital
Van Maaren: “Soon this group can be referred to an allergist on the advice of the GGD. He or she can still give the vaccine in the hospital or do further research. I expect that in most cases these people can still be vaccinated in this way. .”
Our country has about thirty allergists. They monitor the patient during the vaccination. “Unlike the GGD employee, the allergist has all the knowledge and can act precisely if a patient develops a swollen throat, for example.”
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Can not wait
Jenneke from Amsterdam can’t wait to get an invitation to prick. Because she also has asthma, she has been on her guard for a year and a half. “I do sit on terraces and into the city, but I am always careful. When I am in a supermarket, I wear a mouth cap. I am terrified to get corona.”
She hopes for a solution soon. “My husband has been vaccinated, it’s not easy for him either. It affects our lives. I can’t wait until I’m vaccinated. I’m excited when that shot is in it.”
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