Children between the ages of 12 and 15 who have active cancer, diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney failure are among those who should be vaccinated primarily against Covid-19, according to the Directorate-General for Health.
The standard of the Vaccination Campaign Against Covid-19, updated yesterday by the General Directorate of Health (DGS), also determines transplantation and immunosuppression as priority diseases for vaccination.
According to the standard, neurological diseases are also included, which include cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophies, developmental disorders such as Trisomy 21 and severe and profound intellectual development disorders. Chronic lung disease, chronic respiratory disease such as severe asthma, and cystic fibrosis are also among the top priorities.
Vaccines can be administered to minors as long as the person who has custody of the minor or the person to whom the minor has been entrusted is present.
"In the case of adults unable to consent, authorization must be obtained from the legal representative", adds the rule.
On Friday, DGS recommended priority vaccination against Covid-19 for children aged 12 to 15 with associated comorbidities that could lead to serious illness or death, clarifying later that disease-free minors need a prescription to be vaccinated.
Universal vaccination continues, for the time being, to be recommended only after the age of 16, following the ongoing vaccination plan.
The standard updated yesterday also states that for pregnant women aged 16 or over, a medical statement is not required, and, despite the recommendation to be vaccinated after 21 weeks of gestation, after performing the morphological ultrasound, «there is no limit gestational age for initiation of vaccination'.
The DGS also emphasizes that, if the vaccination scheme is started, without prior knowledge of the pregnancy situation, it must be completed within the recommended interval, regardless of the gestational age and the performance of the morphological ultrasound.
Vaccination against Covid-19 in pregnant women should be at least 14 days apart from the administration of other vaccines, such as whooping cough and flu.
The DGS states that pregnant women constitute a group at increased risk for severe forms of Covid-19, when compared to non-pregnant women of the same age, with the risk of serious illness being higher in the third trimester of pregnancy.
"On the other hand, Covid-19 has also been associated with adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes resulting mainly from the higher rate of preterm birth," he says in the standard.
Although the scientific evidence (information) on the safety and efficacy of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy is still limited, “all available vaccines against Covid-19 use non-activated virus technologies, so they are not expected additional risks during pregnancy and breastfeeding», she stresses.
Data collected by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control showed no significant differences in pregnancy outcomes in vaccinated women, in more than 100.000 records analyzed.
“Thus, the expected benefits outweigh the (theoretical) risks for the pregnant woman and the fetus, the benefit being greater in the presence of high exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and risk pathologies”, stresses the DGS.
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