Covid-19 survivors will no longer be required to wait for three months before becoming eligible for vaccination against the disease.
The Special Committee for Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) said the decision was made based on expert opinion presented at a meeting yesterday.
“The decision is based on expert opinion presented at the meeting that although current evidence shows natural infection of the virus provides good protection against reinfection for at least three months, the appearance of new variants has caused a need to be vaccinated sooner than previously determined.
“Therefore, former Covid-19 patients who are confirmed to be free of the virus are now allowed to be vaccinated at vaccine administration centres (PPV) in accordance with the appointments provided,” the JKJAV said in a statement today.
However, an exception has been made for Covid-19 survivors who previously received anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma as part of their Covid-19 treatment.
Such patients would still need to wait for at least 90 days after their recovery before they are eligible for vaccination.
The JKJAV said this is a precautionary measure that is being taken pending further data becoming available.
This is to avoid the possibility of the antibody therapy causing an immune response to the vaccines, the committee added.
On another matter, the JKJAV urged people awaiting Covid-19 test results not to go to PPVs even if they have appointments or are supposed to accompany someone for vaccination.
It assured that those who had to cancel their appointments would be automatically provided with a new one.
The warning came after an incident at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre PPV (PPV MIECC).
According to the Covid-19 Implementation Task Force (CITF) on Wednesday, an individual had turned up for an appointment at the PPV MIECC that day while a Covid-19 test was still pending.
After the person had arrived, a healthcare facility contacted the person to inform the individual the test had come back positive, which prompted the PPV to immediately isolate the person and close the facility for sanitisation.
“Therefore, we remind all vaccine recipients to be more responsible and not go to PPVs until their Covid-19 test results confirm they are negative,” the CITF said. - Mkini
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