Natural Infection Of Covid-19 No Longer Adequate Protection
KKM’s latest announcement says recovered Covid-19 patients do not have to wait three months to get vaccinated.
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In a statement released yesterday evening (9 July), the Special Committee for Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Supply (JKJAV) revealed that recovered Covid-19 patients no longer need to wait three months before they can be vaccinated.
Previously, if you had contracted Covid-19, the natural infection of the virus produced adequate protection for three months, but it is no longer the case due to emerging virus variants.
The concern comes after the Ministry of Health (MoH) announcement earlier this month of 25 Covid-19 cases involving Variants of Concern and three cases involving Variants of Interest detected in the country between 23 June and 30 June.
One exception
Although former Covid-19 patients who are confirmed free of the virus are allowed to be vaccinated, there is an exception for patients who previously received treatment of anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma. Those patients will need to wait at least 90 days after the date of recovery from the viral infection.
The precaution is being carried out until there is additional information, to avoid possible interference of antibody therapy and immune response caused by the vaccine.
What are anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies and convalescent plasma?
If you’ve had Covid-19 and received treatment, you may have been given anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies. This is usually given to non- hospitalised patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 who are at high risk of progression to severe Covid19.
As for convalescent plasma treatment, this passive antibody therapy has been applied for the prevention and treatment of many infectious diseases and was successfully used in the treatment of SARS, MERS, and 2009 H1N1 pandemic with “satisfactory efficacy and safety”.
Important reminder
JKJAV urges anyone waiting for their Covid-19 test results to not go to vaccination centres even if they have appointments or are accompanying someone else.
Those that are forced to cancel their appointments will be given a new date automatically.
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Former advertising mad woman - turned mother to an amazing little girl born 3 months early - and now a returned writer. Also a textbook ambivert with no clue about today's pop music but a walking encyclopedia of music from the 80s and 90s.