Groups left out of COVID-19 vaccine studies should discuss risks with a doctor

Now that the COVID-19 vaccine is being rolled out to hospital personnel, those further down the distribution line may be wondering whether it is right for them. 

Doctors said there are some groups of people who should talk to a doctor before signing up. 

"So there are things we know and things we don't know and things we're making assumptions. What we know for a fact is, this vaccine has not yet been studied in pregnant women," said Dr. Anas Daghestani, CEO of Austin Regional Clinic. 

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Doctors said pregnant women should consider COVID-19 exposure risk, health complications, and age when determining the best course of action.

"We don't have any evidence to suggest that there's going to be higher risk for complications. We know that there is evidence that COVID itself raises the potential for complications. And let's make that decision together, whether you're comfortable taking that vaccine or not," Daghestani said. 

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Austin Regional Clinic is currently enrolling children between 12 and 18 years old for a study of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Other vaccine companies have not yet included the under 18 population.

"I think, at this point, the CDC approved the vaccine for 16 and older only. So we'll be following that guideline until there's more details available, until Pfizer provides more information to the CDC to change that age group," said Dagheestani. 

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As for those who have had allergic reactions to previous vaccines, it's more complicated. 

"If you decide to take the vaccine, we're going to watch the patients for 30 minutes after the vaccine to make sure that everything is okay. If there was a life-threatening complication that happened with a previous vaccine, we're probably going to be holding off on proceeding with this vaccination until there are more details," Daghestani said. 

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Still, no matter what patients decide about whether the vaccine is right for them, doctors said precautions like facemasks, hand washing and social distancing will remain in place for many months.

"We're in the third and fourth quarter of this game. We still have two more quarters to end this game," said Daghestani. 

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