The CDC has issued new guidelines on the COVID-19 vaccine for people with underlying medical conditions

© Getty / David Greedy
Getty / David Greedy

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidelines on Saturday for those with underlying medical conditions, saying they can receive the COVID-19 vaccine, provided they “have not had a severe allergic reaction to any of the ingredients in the vaccine.”
• The CDC issued specific guidelines for people with HIV, a weakened immune system and autoimmune diseases such as Guillain-Barre syndrome and Bell’s palsy.
• Nearly 2 million people in the United States received the first of two doses of the vaccine by Saturday, according to the CDC, but it still encourages people to follow health guidelines.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new vaccine guidelines on Saturday for people with underlying medical conditions.

The CDC said that people with underlying medical conditions are at an increased risk of “serious illness” with the coronavirus and can receive the COVID-19 vaccine, provided they “have not had a severe allergic reaction to any of the ingredients in the vaccine.”

The CDC has issued specific guidelines for people with the following conditions:

The CDC warned that information about the vaccine’s safety for people with HIV and weakened immune systems is not yet available and, although people living with HIV have been included in vaccine clinical trials, data for this group are also unavailable. .

People who have had GBS and Bell’s palsy may receive the vaccine, said the CDC.

“With few exceptions, the independent best practice guidelines of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for immunization do not include a history of GBS as a precaution for vaccination with other vaccines,” said the CDC.

The CDC said cases of Bell’s palsy have been reported in participants in clinical trials of the vaccine, but the Food and Drug Administration “has not concluded that these cases were caused by vaccination”.

As of Saturday, 1.94 million people in the United States had received the first of two doses of the vaccine, according to the CDC. But the agency still encourages people to follow appropriate health guidelines, such as wearing a mask and social distance, even for those who receive the vaccine.