Africa-Press – Uganda. Prof Pontiano Kaleebu, an immunologist and the director of Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), said those who are in active phase should wait whereas those who suspect to have symptoms should first go for testing
Experts have urged symptomatic patients to go for Covid vaccination once they are out of isolation and fully recovered.
Prof David Sserwadda, the head of Covid-19 vaccine advisory committee, said the patients should wait until PCR (Polymerase Chain reaction) test is negative.
“You wait until you are negative, if you have PCR positive, it means you still have active infection. It’s like if someone has measles and you know clinically they have measles, you don’t vaccinate,” Prof Sserwadda told this newspaper yesterday.
Prof Pontiano Kaleebu, an immunologist and the director of Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), said those who are in active phase should wait whereas those who suspect to have symptoms should first go for testing.
However, Prof Kaleebu said asymptomatic patients can go for vaccination.
“I am not aware of danger when you are symptomatic, but vaccines can also cause side effects, people get fever and headaches, so I don’t think it will be good to combine the disease with the side effects,” Prof Kaleebu said.
He added: “It’s better to manage [the disease] because for someone who is sick, the disease may lead to mild or severe [case]. It is not only for Covid but all other vaccinations if you are sick.”
Prof Kaleebu said when one is asymptomatic, they are actively infected which means one has virus infection. At a time when the body starts developing antibodies and T cells is the time when the vaccine may have a challenge. However, this has not been seen in Covid-19 cases. T cells are one of the important white blood cells of the immune system and play a central role in the adaptive immune response.
Asked about testing before vaccination in general, Prof Kaleebu said, “Testing is complicated. You keep asymptomatic patients waiting yet you also don’t know if they will develop natural immunity which leaves them at risk, so you rather give them vaccine.”
According to UVRI, more studies are being done but currently, some of the people who are infected may not get good antibody response.
Some of the asymptomatic cases don’t have the immune responses and thus it’s better to protect majority.
Immune response means that the body is developing antigens.
Ministry of Health statistics indicate that at least 86, 9915 have been vaccinated against Covid-19.
Of these, 812,118 have received first doses and 57,797 have received the second one.
World Health Organisation response
Dr Yonas Woldemariam, the World Health Organisation (WHO) country representative, answered some of the most asked questions surrounding vaccination and positive cases
What does WHO advise on vaccinating someone who is suspected to have Covid-19? Those with suspected Covid-19 symptoms should wait until they are out of isolation and fully recovered before being vaccinated.
How long should someone wait to take the Covid-19 vaccine if they have been infected?
There are preliminary studies to suggest that single doses induce adequate immune response if you have had Covid-19 infection before. However, more studies are needed to make this a general rule. On the basis of these findings, those who have had Covid-19 can postpone their vaccine appointment for up to six months to allow others who may need the vaccine more urgently to go first.
What does WHO advise for those who have had their first vaccine dose and then tested positive? Should they proceed with the second dose of the vaccine?
Those with Covid-19 infection should isolate and not visit vaccination centres (for about for two weeks). Once they have completed the quarantine period, we suggest they proceed with the second dose of vaccines.
