COVID-19 vaccine
COVID-19 vaccineiStock

The World Health Organization issued a list of interim recommendations Tuesday regarding use of the mRNA-1273 vaccine developed by Moderna for used against the coronavirus.

Under the recommendations issued by the WHO Tuesday, pregnant women should not be given the vaccine in normal circumstances, with exceptions for women who are in high-risk groups.

“While pregnancy puts women at a higher risk of severe COVID-19, the use of this vaccine in pregnant women is currently not recommended, unless they are at risk of high exposure (e.g. health workers),” the WHO said.

Breastfeeding women, however, can be vaccinated, the WHO said.

Children under the age of 18 should not be given the vaccine, the WHO added, pending more in-depth studies of the vaccine.

In addition, the WHO recommended that people with histories of serious allergic reactions to the vaccine’s components be screened to prevent them from receiving any mRNA vaccine, including Moderna’s.

“Individuals with a history of severe allergic reaction to any component of the vaccine should not take this or any other mRNA vaccine.”

The WHO also recommended against mass vaccination of “very frail older persons”, in particular those “with an anticipated life expectancy of less than three months”. In these instances, vaccination should be decided upon in a case-by-case basis.

Earlier this month, the WHO issued recommendations regarding the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, stating that pregnant women and children under 16 should not be given the vaccine.