SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Recommendations

Yes, I strongly recommend SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for all eligible individuals as it is crucial for reducing COVID-19 morbidity and mortality.

General Vaccination Recommendations

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is a crucial step in ending the COVID-19 pandemic and should be prioritized for all eligible individuals 1
Patients should be advised to receive SARS-CoV-2 vaccination with any of the vaccines approved in their country 1
Vaccination has been shown to significantly reduce SARS-CoV-2 infections by 80-90% in fully vaccinated individuals, with the largest benefit observed against symptomatic infections and those with higher viral burden 2, 3

In general, patients with RMDs do not face higher risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 than the general population and do not have a worse prognosis when they contract it 1
Patients with RMDs should be strongly advised to comply with all infection prevention and control measures prescribed by public health authorities, both before and after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination 1
Patients with RMDs who have been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 should continue their treatment unchanged 1
For patients with RMDs not using immunomodulatory or immunosuppressive treatment, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination should precede treatment initiation if clinically feasible 1

Patients on immunosuppressive therapies are among those most susceptible to COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality, making vaccination a high priority 1
For patients using rituximab or other B-cell depleting therapy, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination should be scheduled to optimize vaccine immunogenicity 1
There are concerns that individuals on certain immunosuppressive drugs may not mount an adequate protective response to COVID-19 vaccination 1
Taking a precautionary approach, third primary doses are recommended for selected immunosuppressed individuals 1

For transplant candidates, it is recommended to complete vaccination at least two weeks before transplantation 1
If the first vaccine dose is received before transplantation, the second dose should be postponed until at least four weeks post-transplant 1
For liver transplant recipients, the best time for vaccination is when immunosuppression has been attenuated, ideally six weeks to three months post-transplantation 1

ESRD patients are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 and should be prioritized for early vaccination 1
A third or booster dose may be necessary for ESRD patients to produce an optimal antibody response 1
There is no preference for one vaccine type over another for ESRD patients 1

The effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing new SARS-CoV-2 infections has been demonstrated in large community-based studies 2
Vaccination with ChAdOx1 or BNT162b2 vaccines reduced SARS-CoV-2 infections by 61% and 66% respectively after the first dose, and by 79% and 80% respectively after the second dose 2
Fully vaccinated individuals are less likely to become infected and contribute to transmission 3
Concerns about SARS-CoV-2 variants should not discourage vaccination, as current evidence suggests vaccines remain effective against variants 4

Healthcare workers play a key role in vaccine promotion and patient guidance 5
Common reasons for vaccine hesitancy include lack of trust in vaccine safety (85%), receiving little information about vaccines (78%), or receiving conflicting information (69%) 5
Adequate investment in vaccine education is needed, particularly focusing on high-quality information through various channels including social media 5

There are concerns that protection provided by vaccines against severe COVID-19 decreases gradually over time 1
Taking a precautionary position, booster doses are being recommended by several authorities to maintain protection against COVID-19 1