Those who have had COVID-19 should get vaccinated as soon as they can if new variants appear where they live

If it does not occur, they can wait up to six months to get vaccinated.

It is currently recommended that people who have already had COVID-19 wait up to six months to get the vaccine, so that more people - especially at risk - who do not have antibodies against the virus can be in better condition if they become infected. However, a new study changes this plan.

According to a group of immunization experts that advises the World Health Organization (WHO), the initial plan can be continued if any of the variants of the original coronavirus do not circulate in the place where those who suffered the disease live, otherwise Otherwise they should not wait.

“We recommend as an act of solidarity in the face of the vaccine shortage situation to wait six months (to get vaccinated) if a person has been infected, but in countries where variants of concern circulate it is recommended not to wait,” said the president of the team. scientists, Alejandro Cravioto.

This group also offered details on how the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine should be used, the most recent to receive emergency use authorization from the Organization.

The “variants of concern”is what those strains that arise from mutations of SARS-CoV-2, causing the current COVID-19 pandemic, are called and have been shown to be transmitted more easily or, according to studies published in recent days, to be capable of causing diseases. more severe and even death.

Cravioto explained that in those places those who have had Covid-19 should not wait more than one or two weeks to be vaccinated if they have the possibility.

This position is based on situations that have been observed, such as that of the Manaus region, in Brazil, where the circulation of a variant has caused a considerable number of reinfections, he recalled.

The group of experts indicated that in these contexts “there is no need to wait” because the vaccine can stimulate immunity and offer some protection against any of the most worrying variants, which are those that were first identified in Brazil, the United Kingdom and in South Africa.

“Otherwise people are exposed to the variants again and will be less protected from a second infection,” Cravioto said.