The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Club of the Philippines (IBDCP) and the Philippine Society of Gastroenterology (PSG) recently issued guidance for the eligibility of patients with gastrointestinal/liver diseases (including inflammatory bowel disease or IBD) to receive COVID-19 vaccination. This timely document is in line with the government’s rollout of COVID-19 vaccination in response to the ongoing pandemic. In the released guidance, patients with IBD are encouraged to receive COVID-19 vaccination, given the increased health risks arising from their comorbid condition (Priority Group A3). Patients may refer to the guidance outlined below to better understand their eligibility for vaccination and important information about the appropriate COVID-19 vaccines.
Specific statements for patients with IBD
Adults aged 18 to 59 years with the following controlled comorbidities:
- Patients with IBD may receive a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 at the first opportunity to obtain one because its benefit outweigh the risks of vaccine side effects.
- The following SARS-Cov-2 vaccines are safe for patients with IBD, including inactivated vaccines, replication-incompetent vector vaccines, messenger RNA vaccines, and recombinant vaccines administered preferably at least 4 weeks prior to start of immunosuppressive therapy.
- In patients with IBD who are currently receiving immune-modifying medications, live vaccines should be avoided.
- All vaccinated IBD patients must be counselled appropriately about possible diminished vaccine efficacy if they are receiving immunomodulator therapies and systemic corticosteroids.
The guidance also covers patients with chronic liver disease or liver transplant recipients, as well as those with cancers of the gastrointestinal tract or pancreas/gallbladder/liver.
For the full document, click here.
