Coronavirus Watch: Allergic reactions to Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in UK prompt warning

Do you have a "significant history" of allergic reactions?

Then you shouldn’t receive the new Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, British health officials said Wednesday, pending an investigation of two adverse reactions reported on the first day of the U.K.'s mass vaccination program.

It wasn't immediately clear what triggered the allergic reactions. There are no preservatives or animal products in the vaccine, which have been known to trigger reactions with other types of vaccines.

Allergic reactions weren't a significant problem in the U.S. trial. But a vaccine that triggers dangerous reactions in people with severe allergies couldn't be approved in the U.S., public health experts say.

It's Wednesday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news you need to know:

• In the U.S., vaccine distribution could begin as early as Friday if authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. Paul Ostrowski, who leads supply, production and distribution for the federal government's Operation Warp Speed, walked Paste BN through the process.
• Talks on a stimulus package are coming down to the wire. A bipartisan proposal had included about $300 per week in bonus federal unemployment payments but left out another round of $1,200 stimulus checks. The White House now proposes $600 stimulus checks but no unemployment bonus. Stay tuned.
• A win for LA restaurants: A judge ruled that Los Angeles County public health officials must conduct a risk-benefit analysis before trying to extend a ban on outdoor dining beyond Dec. 16.
• Face masks? In Idaho, public health officials meeting to vote on a proposed four-county mask mandate abruptly shut down the proceedings Tuesday amid raucous protests outside.
• As of last week, there were more than 21,000 patients in intensive care units across the nation, according to Health and Human Services data, which hospitals file daily or weekly with guidance from the White House.

Today's numbers: More than 2,500 deaths and over 215,000 new coronavirus cases were reported Tuesday alone. The U.S. has reported over 15 million cases and 286,000 deaths. Globally, there have been over 68 million cases and 1.6 million fatalities. See the numbers in your area here, and check out where cases are rising here.

What do you want to know about the vaccine? We're taking your vaccine questions through this online form, and we'll answer them here. You asked: How much vaccine is there?

As of last week, 6.4 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine were ready to ship in the U.S., said Gen. Gustave Perna, co-leader of Operation Warp Speed in charge of logistics. Of that, 5% will be held back for a safety factor, Ostrowski said.

That leaves 6.08 million doses of vaccine, which will then be split in half: half to ship out and half to remain stored, he said. That means that in the first round of vaccine deliveries, 3.04 million doses will be shipped.

These are being divided up between the 50 states, the District of Columbia and six U.S. territories, with some also going to the departments of Defense and State, the Veterans Health Administration, the Bureau of Prisons and the Indian Health Service.

– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck