Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic created an urgent need for widespread vaccination efforts to curb the spread of the virus. Fear of vaccines and the possibility of allergic outcomes significantly contributed to hesitancy in completing the recommended doses of Sars-CoV-2 vaccines, thereby putting developed herd immunity at risk. To address these concerns skin tests were performed as part of allergy work-up in patients with suspected allergic reactions to the first vaccine dose. In rare cases, positive results suggested IgE-mediated sensitization to the COVID-19 vaccine and caused a change of the initial vaccination plan and as a result switching to another regimen and/or adjusting dosing of the single dose. Though in these cases initial vaccination was successful, little was known of these patients’ booster dosing.

Material and methods

A detailed survey regarding subsequent vaccination post-desensitization and any related complications was conducted among the patients who had undergone desensitization to COVID-19 vaccines. The number of administered vaccine doses and the occurrence of adverse reactions were analyzed. The same questions were presented to patients whose diagnostic test did not indicate any allergies to administered vaccines.

Results

No significant differences were observed between the control group and the study group in terms of the number of vaccine doses received. All patients in the post-desensitization group received subsequent doses of the same vaccine. All patients in the post-desensitization group received subsequent doses of the same vaccine and no clinically significant allergic reactions were observed after subsequent doses.

Conclusions

The desensitization protocol demonstrated long-term efficacy among patients who opted for subsequent COVID-19 vaccinations. The number of received doses among the desensitized and non-desensitized patients is comparable.