On Saturday, July 24, the Russian Ministry of Health updated its temporary guidelines for vaccination of adults against COVID-19.

"The temporary guidelines have been finalized taking into account the experience of using vaccines to prevent the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 in pregnant women and people with cancer, as well as in terms of the procedure for issuing medical withdrawals from preventive vaccinations," the ministry said in a statement.

The document from the Ministry of Health notes that vaccines, based on known data, do not pose a danger to pregnant women or the fetus.

In particular, the Sputnik V vaccine is advisable to use for pregnant women at risk of severe COVID-19 from 22 weeks of pregnancy.

This category includes pregnant women with obesity, chronic lung disease, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic kidney disease, liver disease.

Along with this, "Sputnik V" is recommended for all patients with cancer who have completed the course of anticancer treatment, regardless of the stage of the disease.

While patients with oncology receiving treatment with potential hematological toxicity, it is recommended to vaccinate at least 14 days before the start, the interval between courses, the start or end of radiation therapy.

In turn, the EpiVacCorona vaccine is contraindicated in severe allergies, malignant tumors and primary immunodeficiency.

In addition, the ministry listed the indications for obtaining a medical waiver from vaccination against COVID-19.

“Contraindications, on the basis of which a permanent medical withdrawal from vaccination with any vaccines registered in the Russian Federation for the prevention of a new coronavirus infection, can be issued, include: hypersensitivity to any component of the vaccine or a vaccine containing similar components, severe allergic reactions in history, period breastfeeding ", - explained in the Ministry of Health.

It is added that the presence of acute infectious and non-infectious diseases, exacerbation of chronic diseases, it is possible to issue a temporary medical exemption from vaccination, and already two to four weeks after recovery or remission, you can get vaccinated.

Explanations of the Ministry of Labor

If the employee has not submitted in time a document on the passage of vaccination against coronavirus infection without a valid reason (medical challenge), then the employer should remove this employee without pay, this follows from the joint recommendations of the Ministry of Labor and Rospotrebnadzor.

“If the employer does not have documentary evidence that the employee has been vaccinated by the due date, the employer must issue an order to dismiss the employee without pay if the employee refuses to be vaccinated without a valid reason (in the absence of information about contraindications to vaccination),” the document says.

At the same time, it is indicated that employees can be transferred to a remote work format if this is possible, but this right is recommended to be used mainly in relation to employees who have contraindications to preventive vaccination.

Whereas those vaccinated can be rewarded by employers, for example, they can be given additional paid rest days.

The recommendations also indicate that vaccination against COVID-19 is included in the calendar of preventive vaccinations for epidemic indications.

At the same time, by this time, in 35 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the chief sanitary doctors of the regions, in connection with the epidemiological danger, have adopted resolutions on compulsory vaccination for certain categories of workers.

These decrees define the categories of so-called "risk groups" who, due to the nature of their professional activities, face a large number of people, and must be vaccinated.

"When making such decisions, citizens subject to vaccination have the right to refuse vaccinations, but in this case they should be suspended from the work performed for the period of epidemiological trouble," the document explains.

  • AGN "Moscow"

  • © Sofya Sandurskaya

It is added that in order to stabilize the situation with coronavirus, employers need to ensure a level of collective immunity of at least 80% of employees, taking into account those who have recovered from COVID-19 and vaccinated (no more than


six months ago).

COVID-19 statistics

Over the past day in Russia, the coronavirus was confirmed in 23,947 people, most of all in Moscow (3376), the Moscow region (2096) and St. Petersburg (1937).

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 6,102,469 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in the country.

Also, over the past day in the Russian Federation, 21,952 people were discharged (for the entire period - 5,471,956).

From complications that developed against the background of COVID-19 and concomitant diseases, 799 patients died (since the beginning of the pandemic - 153 095).

At the same time, the Ministry of Health named the regions of the Russian Federation with the highest and lowest incidence of COVID-19 in 2020 per 100 thousand population, RIA Novosti reports.

“COVID-19 per 100 thousand of the total population: Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug - 11243.6, Republic of North Ossetia - Alania - 7696.9, Karachay-Cherkess Republic - 7432.6,” the ministry's statistics collection says.

As follows from the document, the lowest rates were recorded in Chechnya (668.1), Lipetsk Region (1117.5) and Krasnodar Territory (1150.2).