The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a new guideline on Saturday stating that people with underlying health conditions can receive a coronavirus vaccine.
Coaching explains that “adults of any age with certain underlying medical conditions have an increased risk of severe disease caused by the virus that causes COVID-19. ”
Thus, the CDC added that those vaccines that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “can be given to people with an underlying medical condition, provided they have not had a severe allergic reaction to any of the ingredients in the vaccine. ”
The CDC explained that people with weakened immune systems due to other diseases or medications may also receive a COVID-19 vaccine, but should be aware that limited safety data are available on the effects of vaccines on these people. .
In addition, while people living with HIV have been included in clinical trials, safety data for this group are not yet available.
The CDC also said in its Saturday guide that people with autoimmune diseases can get the vaccine, although no data are currently available on vaccine safety in this demographic.
Those who have experienced Guillain-Barre syndrome – a condition in which the body begins to attack parts of its own nervous system – can also receive vaccine doses. The guide adds that after vaccination during clinical trials, there were no cases of the syndrome.
People who have previously experienced Bell’s palsy – a condition that causes muscle weakness on one side of the face – may also receive a vaccine. Some participants during clinical trials developed Bell’s palsy after vaccination, but it did not occur at a rate higher than expected in the general population.
Despite the start of distribution of Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, the CDC recommends that people who are vaccinated continue to follow current coronavirus health and safety protocols, such as wearing a mask, social distance, and avoiding congestion.
According to the CDC, almost 2 million people they received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine starting Saturday. Both the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech and the one from Moderna require two doses to be administered a few weeks apart.
Data from the final study of both vaccines showed that they have an efficacy rate of approximately 95% in the prevention of COVID-19, although The Moderna vaccine has an efficacy rate of 86% for those over 65 years of age.
Health workers have been given priority in the initial distribution of the vaccine, and the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted last week to advise the CDC to include those 75-year-olds and specific key workers, including emergency nurses and teachers, in the next phase of coronavirus vaccinations.