Advice

For patients with current acute severe febrile illness or acute infection the manufacturers information for the Comirnaty vaccines, Spikevax vaccines and Novavax vaccine state that vaccination should be postponed. However, all state that the presence of a minor infection and/or low-grade fever should not delay vaccination.

UK Health Security Agency Immunisation Against Infectious Disease (the Green Book) states that minor illnesses without fever or systemic upset are not valid reasons to postpone immunisation. Individuals who are acutely unwell can have their immunisation postponed until they have fully recovered.  This is to avoid confusing the differential diagnosis of any acute illness (including COVID-19) by wrongly attributing any signs or symptoms to the adverse effects of the vaccine.

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