KUALA LUMPUR: Public health experts appear divided on whether pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as immunocompromised individuals should be given Covid-19 inoculation.
Manipal University College Malaysia Community and Occupational Medicine Professor Dr G. Jayakumar said further studies were required to establish that the vaccines were safe and effective on these groups.
"Immunocompromised people, pregnant or breastfeeding women were excluded in the clinical trials.
"Based on the available studies on the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines, it is not advisable for these groups to be immunised.
"Until further data is obtained, these individuals must strictly adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOP) such as wearing face masks, practising hand hygiene and maintaining physical distancing to safeguard themselves from infections," he told the New Straits Times.
Dr Jayakumar said suppose immunocompromised patients request for the vaccines, healthcare professionals must assess them first and obtain a written consent from the patients that they are fully informed of the potential risks involved.
However, the Malaysian Society of Infection Control and Infectious Diseases (MyICID) called for pregnant women to be vaccinated in line with opinions from expert committees from the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe.
Its president, Dr Anusha Shunmugarajoo, stressed that vaccines should be offered to pregnant women in high-risk groups such as obese individuals, frontliners or those having other risk factors that could lead to the possibility of severe disease.
"The consensus from MyICID is that we recommend offering the vaccine to this group. However, the implementation will be based on the Health Ministry's guidelines."
Immunocompromised individuals, Dr Anusha said, could receive vaccinations if there were no contraindications such as severe anaphylaxis.
"Furthermore, none of the vaccines contain live virus.
"So, we suggest that immunocompromised individuals discuss further with their treating doctor.
"People living with human immunodeficiency viruses (PLHIV), who are stable on anti-retroviral treatment, should be offered the vaccine.
"Post-vaccination side effects are generally mild and manageable, and usually resolved within a few days.
"A small group may develop severe allergic reactions post-immunisation. Therefore, all vaccine recipients will be observed for 15 to 30 minutes post-vaccination."
Likewise, the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) has urged the government to prioritise PLHIV for Covid-19 jabs.
MAC, in a statement on Monday, said this move would ensure that herd immunity was built in the community to break the chain of Covid-19 infections and end the pandemic.
"Until further evidence shows otherwise, there should not be any discouragement for PLHIV to be vaccinated against Covid-19 as it has been shown that people with underlying medical illnesses, including HIV, especially those with advanced HIV infection, may be more susceptible to developing severe disease if infected.
"It is recommended that all persons with HIV be vaccinated, irrespective of CD4 count, in line with international guidelines. (The CD4 count is a test that measures how many CD4 cells one has in the blood.)
"The vaccines are safe for persons with HIV as they are not live vaccines."