Higit isang buwan mula nang mag-umpisa ang Pilipinas sa rollout ng mga bakuna laban sa COVID-19, naglabas ang Department of Health (DOH) ng karagdagang panuntunan bilang gabay sa mga pagbabakuna.

Sa ilalim ng Department Memorandum No. 2021-0175 na may petsang April 8, 2021 nakasaad ang ilang karagdagang guidelines para sa publiko at vaccination sites.

Ayon sa DOH maaari na agad magpabakuna ang indibidwal na kaka-recover pa lang sa COVID-19. Maging ang mga kakatapos lang sumailalim sa treatment ng sakit.

Pinapayuhan naman ang mga nagkasakit o may “medical reasons” matapos ang unang dose na makipag-ugnayan sa kanilang vaccination sites para agad ma-reschedule ang pagbabakuna sa kanila.

“Only individuals experiencing a blood pressure (BP) of 180/120 or higher with signs and symptoms of organ damage during the screening process, cannot be vaccinated.”

“Other vaccine recipients with blood pressure not meeting definitions of hypertensive emergency may be vaccination.”

Nilinaw ng ahensya na hindi requirement ang medical clearance bago magpabakuna, maliban sa mga itinuturing na “immunocompromised individuals” o yung mga may autoimmune disease.

Tulad ngmga diagnosed ng HIV, cancer patients na kasalukuyang sumasailalim sa immunosuppressive therapy; mga pasyenteng nasa gitna ng transplant, steroid treatment, at mga naka-bedridden at may “poor prognosis.”

Naglabas rin ang DOH ng listahan ng mga “comorbid conditions” na pasok sa A3 Priority Group. Kabilang sa mga sakit na ikinokonsiderang “high risk” sa COVID-19 ay ang mga sumusunod:

• Chronic respiratory disease and infection such as asthma and respiratory allergies, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Interstitial Lung Diseases, Cystic Fibrosis, or Pulmonary Hypertension, Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Chronic bronchitis, Histoplasmosis, Bronchiectasis
• Cardiovascular disease such as hypertension coronary heart diseases, -cardiomyopathies, peripheral artery disease, aortic diseases, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease
• Chronic kidney disease
• Cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke and transient ischemic attack
• Cancer of malignancy
• Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 and Type 2
• Obesity
• Neurologic diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Epilepsy and Seizures, Bell’s palsy, Guillan-Barre Syndrome, or acute spinal cord injury
• Chronic liver disease such as hepatitis cirrhosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• Immunodeficiency state such as genetic immunodeficiencies, secondary or acquired immunodeficiencies (i.e. prolonged use of corticosteroids), HIV infection, – Solid organ or blood transplant patients
• Other diseases such as sickle cell disease, Thalassemia or Down Syndrome

Pinaalalahanan ng ahensya ang publiko na kahit mabakunahan na ay sundin pa rin ang health protocols para makontrol ang pagkalat ng coronavirus.

Hinimok din ng DOH ang publiko na magpabakuna dahil libre ito at makakatulong para maiwasan ang COVID-19 at posibilidad ng malalang impeksyon.

“Everyone is urged to get the FREE vaccines when it’s their turn through their LGUs to get additional protection against COVID-19 and prevent hospitalization due to severe disease. “