The Directorate General of Health (DGS) announced today that people who have recovered from infection with the new coronavirus and who are immunocompromised, will be able to receive full vaccination, stressing that natural infection with the virus provides “strong immunity”.
“In Portugal, in the case of people who have recovered from infection and who have conditions of immunosuppression, the DGS also recommends the administration of two doses of the vaccine in vaccines with a two-dose vaccine schedule and one dose of the vaccine in vaccines with a vaccine dose schedule,” Lusa told the organization led by Graça. Freitas.
According to the DGS, known data show that natural SARS-CoV-2 infection “provides strong and lasting immunity for at least six months” and that available information “still indicates that there is a very low risk of re-infection in this period, in those recovering” from COVID-19.
In Portugal, those who have recovered from the infection are vaccinated with a single dose, as available data showed, according to the DGS, that this solution increases “the titer of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 to levels similar to those observed in people, without a previous history of covid.” -19, vaccinated with the complete regimen of one of the vaccines used “in the country.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) today recommended two doses of the covid-19 vaccine for people at risk, even if they were previously infected with SARS-CoV-2.
“In the absence of evidence of vaccine dose efficacy in previously infected individuals against the expected field of delta strain of concern, […] ECDC advises that a full course of vaccination be given to all individuals at increased risk of severe covid-19, regardless of previous infection,” the body stated in a written response sent to Lusa.
This situation comes at a time when countries such as Portugal, Austria, Croatia, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain are administering only one dose of the vaccine to previously infected people, and when the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, which was initially detected in India, is more transmissible. Than any other country, it spreads rapidly in the European Union.
In Portugal, 17,108 people died and 884,442 were confirmed, according to the latest bulletin of the Directorate General of Health.
