Who are not encouraged to take Covid-19 vaccine

KUALA LUMPUR: Citizens all over the world, including Malaysians, have been encouraged to take the Covid-19 vaccine to create herd immunity and finally put an end to the pandemic.

However, there are exceptions, as some categories of people are not encouraged to take the vaccine shots, while others are totally not allowed to be vaccinated, including with the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine known as COMIRNATY.

According to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) website about the COMIRNATY vaccine, individuals who are immunocompromised, autoimmune patients, pregnant women or those breastfeeding are among those not recommended to take the vaccine.

This is because currently there is insufficient clinical evidence to support the use of the vaccine among those groups, but that may change after more clinical data is obtained.

“The COMIRNATY vaccine clinical trials also did not involve pregnant women or those breastfeeding … as there is no data on the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine on that population, they are discouraged from taking the vaccine until further information is obtained,” according to the NPRA.

The COMIRNATY vaccine also cannot be given to individuals with allergic reaction to any substance in the vaccine, including messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), lipids, polyethylene glycol, potassium chloride, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, sodium chloride, disodium phosphate dihydrate and sucrose.

In addition, the second dose should not be given to individuals suffering from serious allergic reactions after the receiving the first dose, said the NPRA.

“Please seek a doctor’s advice if you have any form of allergy, bleeding problems, or are taking any blood thinners, if you are undergoing or have just completed cancer treatment, an organ transplant or stem cell treatment.

“Also, if you have been infected with Covid-19, have received other Covid-19 vaccines, either through an immunisation programme or as a subject in a Covid-19 clinical test, or have received passive antibody treatment for Covid19,” the NPRA added.

The vaccine, which has been approved by the Drug Control Authority (DCA), is currently for individuals who are 18 years and above.

“This is due to insufficient data to determine the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine on those 18 years and below … that is why children under 18 cannot be provided immunisation until further data is obtained,” the NPRA said.