A mother’s face, arms, chest, back and legs erupted into an agonising red rash after getting the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.
Leigh King, from North Lanarkshire in Scotland, claimed her skin flared up almost immediately after she got her first dose two weeks ago — and is still sore now.
‘My skin was so sore and constantly hot,’ she said. ‘I have never felt pain like this… and to say it’s been the worst time of my life is an absolute understatement.’
The hairdresser, 41, was invited for the jab because she is the sole carer of her autistic son, Aidan, 13. Ms King said she has been unable to look after the teenager since because of her burning rashes.
She claimed she visited hospital for help three times but was turned away by doctors despite the pain being so bad she could ‘barely walk out’ on the final visit.
Britain’s drug regulator lists rashes as an ‘uncommon’ side-effect of the AstraZeneca jab — affecting up to one in 100 people — and has recorded 3,795 cases so far. It is not clear whether she suffered an allergic reaction to the jab, or whether her rash was because of her immune system’s natural overreaction to the jab.
It does not list them as a possible reaction to the Pfizer vaccine but a few thousand Britons have also reported suffering rashes after getting that jab.
More than 34million jabs have been administered in the UK so far, with the majority supplied by AstraZeneca.
British dermatologists said the rashes appeared hive-like in nature and could have been triggered by ‘a number of other causes rather than the vaccine itself’. The NHS website says hives can be sparked by food allergies, insect bites, and cold exposure.
NHS England said it could not comment on individual cases, but insisted the jabs approved for use in the UK met ‘strict standards’ on quality, safety and efficacy.
Leigh King, a 41-year-old hairdresser from North Lanarkshire, said her skin erupted into rashes almost immediately after she got the AstraZeneca vaccine. Britain’s drug regulator lists rashes as a possible side-effect of the coronavirus vaccine
Ms King added the pain was agonising, had persisted for more than two weeks, and left her unable to care for her 13-year-old autistic son Aidan
The rash also spread across Ms King’s back after she received the vaccine
And down her legs as well. British doctors said the reaction could also have been triggered by a number of other factors and appeared to be hive-like in nature.
Ms King got her first dose of the Oxford-made jab on March 12, but was still suffering from pain more than two weeks later.
‘I am a very healthy person and am not on any medication or anything like that. I am not even in a vulnerable category,’ she said.
‘I only got the vaccine as I am an unpaid carer for my son who has autism and mobility issues. But I haven’t even been able to care for him since I got the vaccine as I am in such pain.’
Ms King said she waited 48 hours before seeking treatment from doctors, in line with medical advice, but was turned away each time. She is now waiting to be examined by a skin specialist.
Speaking about the impact on her family, she said Aidan is scared to come near her because of the red skin and is ‘struggling to understand what is going on’.
‘At home is his happy place and I am his best pal. I got this vaccine to care for Aidan but I haven’t even been able to do that.
‘He is seeing a specialist in Glasgow soon and I won’t be able to be there for him.
‘I can’t be there when he needs me most.’
Ms King added she is not against vaccines but feels she has been ‘let down on every level’ and that her case has not been followed up appropriately.
It is unclear whether the AstraZeneca triggered her skin reaction — but it is a known side effect.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said all jabs go through a rigorous quality check to ensure they are safe before they are approved.
Officials ask anyone suffering any health issues after they have been vaccinated to report it to their Yellow Card system in case any serious side-effects crop up.
The list shows rashes have been recorded both for AstraZeneca and Pfizer’s vaccine — with the latter having 2,602 cases recorded since the first dose was dished out in December.
Consultant dermatologist at the Royal Free hospital, London, and British Skin Foundation expert Dr Adil Sheraz said the rash could have been sparked by other factors.
‘The case in question here is of course very unfortunate and may have been secondary to the vaccine, or more likely to one the components that make up the vaccine,’ he told MailOnline.
‘Commenting on this individual case would be difficult, as there could be a number of other causes for the rash, which appears to be very much urticarial (hive-like) in nature.’
He added: ‘Data from the vaccination programme continues to be updated and to date, the chances of having any severe side effect remains low.
‘The only way we will defeat this pandemic is via the vaccination programme and I would urge the public to continue to get themselves vaccinated when their time comes.’
Rashes can be triggered by a multitude of factors including pollen irritating the skin, insect bites and exposure to heat.
Ms King pictured with her son Aidan. The mother said she had visited hospital three times with her rashes but was turned away by doctors. Advice says you should visit hospital if a potential side-effect persists for more than 48 hours after getting the jab
An NHS spokesperson said: ‘Any coronavirus vaccine that is approved must go through all the clinical trials and safety checks all other licensed medicines go through. The MHRA follows international standards of safety.
‘Other vaccines are being developed. They will only be available on the NHS once they have been thoroughly tested to make sure they are safe and effective.
‘So far, millions of people have been given a Covid-19 vaccine and reports of serious side effects, such as allergic reactions, have been very rare. No long-term complications have been reported.’
The Government has ordered more than 100million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with its doses mostly being manufactured at three factories in the UK.
It has also ordered 40million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 17million of the Moderna shot which will be dished out in the coming weeks.
It comes after Germany suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for under-60s following 31 cases of a rare blood clot among 2.7million doses administered.
Angela Merkel last night defended Germany’s decision as she and Emmanuel Macron made overtures to Vladimir Putin to get Moscow’s Sputnik V jab into the EU.
The chancellor insisted that ‘trust stems from the knowledge that every suspicion, every individual case will be examined’.
But surveys show that public trust in the vaccine has slumped in EU nations during a months-long back-and-forth over the jab, which experts from the UK, WHO and EU have found to be safe and effective in preventing Covid.
With the AstraZeneca roll-out once again mired in chaos, Merkel and Macron last night discussed co-operating with the Kremlin to produce Sputnik V within the EU in what would amount to a major propaganda coup for Putin.
Some politicians in Germany have already called for Sputnik V to be approved as the AstraZeneca row hampers a jab programme already struggling to pick up the pace across the EU.
Merkel, who is 66 and a trained scientist, said she is open to getting the AstraZeneca jab herself, adding that ‘the possibility of me being vaccinated is nearing’.
‘I have said when it is my turn, I will get vaccinated, including with AstraZeneca,’ she said.
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