As many people are concerned about what types of health conditions make a COVID-19 vaccination inadvisable, the Food and Drug Administration has summarized a list for the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is also CECC spokesman, said yesterday.
The list is based on information provided in the packaging of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, he said.
Chuang said the three types of people who should not get vaccinated are “those who have had an allergic reaction to any of the active substances or other ingredients of the AstraZeneca vaccine,” “those who suffered an acute severe allergic reaction after getting the first dose of the vaccine” and “individuals under 18 years old.”
Photo: AFP
“We also recommend that people who are suffering acute severe disease with a fever or acute infection delay receiving a vaccination,” Chuang said.
People with certain health conditions should consult a doctor to assess the benefits and risks before receiving a vaccination, he said.
The conditions include “people with low platelet count or coagulation disorders [such as haemophilia],” “people whose immune system does not work properly [immunodeficiency] or are taking medicine that weakens the immune system,” “pregnant women or those who may be pregnant,” and “breastfeeding women.”
With the first batch of AstraZeneca vaccines expected to complete the testing tomorrow, the center hopes to start vaccinations as early as possible, Chuang said, but an announcement of the exact date would be made by Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who is also head of the CECC.
Meanwhile, the center yesterday reported five new imported cases of COVID-19, including a wanted fugitive sent back from the Philippines.
Four of the cases were from the Philippines, including two fishermen and a worker who tested positive after completing quarantine.
The other case from the Philippines is a Taiwanese in his 50s who was wanted in relation to a criminal case, Chuang said, adding that the man traveled to the Philippines in January 2019, was arrested and sent back to Taiwan on Friday last week, and tested positive while quarantined at a detention center.
The other imported case, No. 988, is a Frenchman who is a colleague of case No. 982 confirmed on Friday last week — a Frenchman in his 50s. They both arrived in Taiwan on Jan. 12.
Contact tracing showed that the two men mostly worked independently and rarely had close contact with other people.
Of the six identified close contacts of case No. 982 in Taiwan that underwent testing, only case No. 988 tested positive.
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