With restrictions in place for public transport and places amid the Omicron scare, what happens to vulnerable groups with allergies to vaccine, ask experts; stress on need to form a body for issuing certificates
Citizens get jabbed at BYL Nair hospital, Mumbai Central. File pic/Ashish Raje
Healthcare experts are concerned about the differently abled (due to neurological issues) and vulnerable groups with vaccine allergies whose fundamental rights have not been addressed or considered by policy makers while drafting the COVID protocol. Amid the scare of the new Omicron variant, first found in South Africa on November 24, the state government has imposed restrictions on people without vaccinations from travelling in any public mode of transport or visiting shops and establishments, leaving these groups in the lurch. Experts said the national health authorities should come up with a process of certification for such individuals so they can be exempted from hefty fines.
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Adverse events following jab
Dr Wiqar Shaikh, Professor of Medicine, Grant Medical College and Sir J J Group of Hospitals, and senior allergy specialist, said that taking vaccine is voluntary and the Central Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has laid conditions for people who are not to take the vaccine. As per the ministry’s website, those who with anaphylactic or allergic reaction to a previous dose of COVID-19 vaccine, or with history of allergic reactions to vaccines, injections, drugs, food items, etc as well as those who are pregnant or lactating are exempt.
He added that several thousands of cases of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) have been reported worldwide. However, the number of AEFI cases in India is not clear.
Dr Shashank Joshi, neurosurgeon
‘Need a body to certify such individuals’
Citing that there are no guidelines in India as to who would certify the allergy status of an individual, Dr Shaikh said the National Health Mission should issue a notification regarding the same. He added that these people should be provided with a special card. Neurosurgeon Dr Shashank Joshi said, “No one wants to take responsibility for complications happening out of vaccination, more so with differently abled and people who had allergic reactions to vaccines earlier. There must be a board providing them a letter of exemption so that they don’t face difficulty in exercising their rights.”
“The new COVID variant, Omicron, has created an unnecessary scare. Health authorities are therefore advising vaccination and COVID-appropriate behaviour as the main method of prevention. The only issue which needs to be considered is individuals who, due to certain health contraindications, could not be vaccinated. A competent authority needs to be designated by the health authorities which will certify exemption from complete vaccination,” said Dr Ketan Vagholkar, professor of surgery at D Y Patil Medical College.
“We don’t have any government agency or authority who can give vaccine exemption certificates on medical grounds to such patients. People who go abroad also need to take certain vaccines, in such cases also, there should be a certifying government agency to issue vaccine exemption certificates,” said Dr Santosh Bansode, Head of the Department Emergency Medicine, Wockhardt hospitals.
Global, national guidelines should be revised
“Now that most countries are implementing punitive or restrictive measures against those individuals who are not fully vaccinated, there is an urgent need to revise global and national guidelines to specify how persons with anaphylaxis reactions will be exempted from completing the COVID injections, and still not be penalised for global and national services. In other words, guidelines and rules for vaccine exemption need to be revised for persons with anaphylaxis by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and/or Niti Aayog to avoid any form of discrimination against them. Since COVID-19 is a new pandemic, there should be no hesitancy in revising guidelines and rules,” said Dr Subhash Hira, Professor of Global Health at the University of Washington-Seattle and an expert of infectious diseases.
He added, “In the absence of globally recognised COVID vaccine exemption certificates by a competent authority, there can be a lot of difficulties. This exemption certificate will avoid difficulties for such individuals at every stage of social life, including travel, job assignments, etc. It’s time for national agencies to take up this task proactively, and lead the world on human rights.”
The other side
“The government guidelines on the requirement of being fully vaccinated state ‘for those who are unable to take the vaccine due to medical reasons, a certificate from a certified medical practitioner may serve as documentary evidence for entry’,” said a healthcare official.
Counter point
Dr Shaikh said, “Unfortunately, there is a problem. Who is really going to certify? Can a general practitioner certify or is a consultant required? This needs to be addressed on an urgent basis. Moreover, in cases where allergic reactions or neurological deficiency of a patient need to be evaluated, ideally only a panel of experts appointed and authorised by the government can certify them for vaccine exemption.”
24 Nov
Day when Omicron was first found in South Africa
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