1 - Serviço de Imunoalergologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Central
- EAACI Hybrid Congress 2022
BACKGROUND. Vaccination plays an essential role in controlling SARS-CoV-2 pandemics. Due to initial concerns about hypersensitivity reactions (HR) to these new vaccines, our department, in articulation with Primary Healthcare Services (PHS) has developed several strategies to support COVID-19 vaccination. This work aims to describe those strategies and report the results.
METHODS. The strategies developed for COVID-19 vaccination, from March to December 2021, included: 1) telephone support for health professionals (TS for HP) from the Vaccination Centres (VC), 2) priority appointments (PA) of patients classified as a higher risk for HR, 3) hospital vaccination of high-risk patients as defined by the national health authority. A retrospective and descriptive analysis of the support activity developed and from the data of patients vaccinated at the hospital in the same period were performed.
RESULTS. During the considered period, our department screened 1618 patients: 420 (26%) through telephone support for HP (TS for HP) from VC and 1198 (74%) at priority appointments (PA). After TS for HP, community vaccination (CV) was recommended in 87% (n=364) of cases and a PA was advised in 13% (n=56). Of the patients evaluated in PA, 80% were recommended CV, with restriction of the vaccine to administer in 28% of them. We always found an option to vaccine all. At the hospital were vaccinated 178 patients, 83% (n=147) women, median age (P25-75) 61 (46-76) years. Hospital vaccination criteria were: past history of multiple drug HR (n=93; 52%), HR to vaccines (n=46; 26%), HR to the 1st dose of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (n=30; 17%), idiopathic anaphylaxis (n=10; 6%) and systemic mastocytosis (n=2; 1%). 15% of patients (n=26) performed skin tests with vaccines, which were negative in 25 and inconclusive in 1 case. 145 (82%) were first shots, 32 (18%) second shots, and one booster shot. Only one patient had a mild immediate reaction (2nd booster vaccination), promptly treated with antihistamine and corticosteroid.
CONCLUSION. The collaboration strategies adopted by our department allowed the vaccination of 1618 patients and avoided vaccination delays in most of the VC contacts. In our sample, hospital vaccination of patients at higher risk for HR was safe.
Palavras Chave: COVID19, fármacos, hipersensibilidade, vacinas