TAMPA, Fla. — You may have heard that some of the COVID-19 vaccines have Polyethylene glycol.
10 Tampa Bay spoke with Dr. Jill Roberts at USF Health to get you a sharper insight.
Roberts says it's used for "stabilizing", and the reason it's used in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is that the little piece of genetics that's creating the response we want is very unstable.
So the concern lies around whether polyethylene glycol, known as "P-E-G," is causing allergic responses. The reason is that it's the only component that's in the vaccine that's similar to anything that's caused an allergic response in the past.
"That's not necessarily bad news. What that means is if you know someone already has an allergic response, we know exactly which vaccines to avoid," says Dr. Roberts.
Polyethylene glycol is also found in several things you use every day: toothpaste, skin creams, and laxatives.
And remember, the FDA approval of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines included a warning that people with allergic reactions should talk to their doctor about getting the vaccine.
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