The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new guideline on Saturday saying that people with underlying health conditions can get a coronavirus vaccine.
Guidance explains that “adults of any age with certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for serious illness from the virus that causes COVID-19. ”
So the CDC added that those vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “may be given to people with underlying medical conditions, provided they have not had a serious allergic reaction to any of the ingredients in the vaccine. ”
The CDC explained that people with weakened immune systems due to other illnesses or medications can also receive a COVID-19 vaccine, but they should be aware that limited safety data is available on the effects of the vaccines on these individuals.
In addition, although people with HIV have been included in clinical studies, no safety data are yet available for this group.
The CDC also stated in its Saturday guideline that individuals with autoimmune diseases should be allowed to take the vaccine, although no data is currently available on the safety of the vaccine in this target population.
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 the vaccine doses. The guideline adds that there have been no cases of the syndrome following vaccination during clinical studies.
People who have previously had Bell’s palsy – a condition that causes muscle weakness on one side of the face – can also receive a vaccine. Some participants in 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 the Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, the CDC recommends that people being vaccinated continue to follow current coronavirus health and safety protocols, such as wearing a mask, social distancing, and avoiding crowds.
According to the CDC, nearly 2 million people have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine starting Saturday. Both the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech and the vaccine from Moderna require two doses to be administered several weeks apart.
The final study data for both vaccines showed that they have approximately 95 percent efficacy rates in preventing COVID-19, although Moderna’s vaccine has 86 percent efficacy for people over the age of 65.
Health professionals have been given priority in the first distribution of the vaccine, and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted last week Advising the CDC to include those 75 and older and specific key frontline workers, including counselors and teachers, in the next phase of coronavirus vaccinations.