COVID-19-affected should defer vaccination by three months: Health Ministry

Ministry recommends vaccination for lactating women.

May 19, 2021 06:24 pm | Updated 10:55 pm IST - New Delhi

A healthcare worker administering a dose of Covishield vaccine to a young man during the vaccination drive at a Government School in West Delhi on Tuesday.

A healthcare worker administering a dose of Covishield vaccine to a young man during the vaccination drive at a Government School in West Delhi on Tuesday.

Vaccination should be deferred by three months after recovery in individuals having lab test proven COVID-19 illness, the Health Ministry said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

COVID-19 patients who have been given anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma should also defer vaccination by three months from the date of discharge from the hospital. This, while recommending COVID-19 vaccination for all lactating women.

The Ministry said it had accepted the recommendations of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC). “These recommendations have been based on the evolving situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and emerging global scientific evidence and experience,” it stated.

It recommended that individuals who have received at least the first dose of the vaccine and got the infection before the completion of the dosing schedule should also defer by three months the second dose after clinical recovery from COVID-19.

“Persons with any other serious general illness requiring hospitalization or ICU care should also wait for 4-8 weeks before getting the COVID-19 vaccine,’’ it noted. Also an individual could donate blood after 14 days of either receipt of COVID-19 vaccine or testing RT-PCR negative, if suffering from COVID-19.

Vaccination of pregnant women

There was no requirement for screening of the vaccine recipients by Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) prior to vaccination. The matter of vaccination of pregnant women was under discussion and further deliberation by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI).

“The Health Ministry has written to States and UTs to direct the concerned officials to take note of these recommendations and undertake necessary action for their effective implementation. States have also been advised to undertake training of the vaccination staff at all levels,’’ said the release.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.