Medically Exempt From Getting the Vaccine
Certain individuals have not / plan to not get the vaccine because of past or current medical conditions. These individuals are at an increased rate of an allergic reaction, reoccurrence, or worsening of that condition. They physically can not the vaccine and may be labeled as irresponsible or grouped with anti-vaxxers.
UC and CSU Campuses Opening for Fall 2021
It’s been two years since campuses closed indefinitely in response to COVID-19 spreading at high rates. Now that the vaccine has been released and COVID-19 rates and deaths have been dropping, most UC and CSU campuses have opened up for Fall 2021. According to the official CDC August COVID statistics, an unvaccinated individual is 6.1X at greater risk of testing positive and 11.3X at greater risk of dying from COVID-19.
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Because thousands of students were returning to campus, COVID guidelines were added that every student and staff had to follow. Unless you receive a medical or religious exemption, all returning individuals must get both doses of the vaccine, wear masks inside crowded buildings, complete a symptom survey everyday that you are on campus, and students are randomly selected for testing. The vaccine has been shown to lower the risk of infection and death in vaccinated individuals, which can lead to less anxiety about returning to a crowded area like a college campus, but some do not have that luxury. Certain individuals with a past medical condition that put them at high risk of the recurrence or worsening of that condition can not receive the vaccine. They must file for a medical exemption and risk getting COVID or the delta variant if they choose to return to campus. They may experience more anxiety, stress, or fear than vaccinated individuals. They may also experience discrimination and judgment for something that they can not control.
Medical Exemption from the COVID-19 Vaccine
According to the CDC, clinical trials have shown that the vaccine is safe and effective in people with underlying conditions, including those at increased risk for severe COVID symptoms. The medical conditions at increased risk includes: cancer, chronic kidney/liver/lung diseases, dementia or other neurological conditions, diabetes (type 1 or type 2), down syndrome, heart conditions, HIV Infection, any immunocompromised state, mental health condition, overweight and obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell diseases or thalassemia, smoking (current or former), solid organ or blood stem cell transplant, stroke or cerebrovascualar disease, substance use disorders, and tuberculosis. (CDC). To receive a permanent medical exemption, the criteria is very narrow and very rare. The criteria is: severe anaphylaxis following a previous dose of a COVID vaccine or anaphylaxis to any component of the vaccine. (theConversation).
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/underlying-conditions.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html
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The images above are of the actual medical exemption form for the COVID-19 vaccine for UCs’ specifically. It consists of part A and B; Part A is the “Contraindication or Precautions to COVID-19 Vaccination” section and Part B is the “Disability That Makes COVID-19 Vaccine Inadvisable”.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome
Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a rare autoimmune disease in which your body’s immune system damages your nerves. It causes muscle weakness and paralysis that can last a few weeks to years. Most people recover but some have permanent nerve damage, or die. GBS happens to about 1 in 100,000 people. (CDC). The first symptoms are usually weakness or tingling sensations in the extremities (legs, arms, and upper body). They can progress over hours, days, or weeks. The precise cause of GBS is not known yet, but “two-thirds” of patients reported symptoms of an infection, including a respiratory or gastrointestinal infection or Zika virus, six weeks before a diagnosis. (mayoclinic). One of the most common factors for GBS is an infection with Campylobacter jejuni, which causes diarrhea. “Very rarely, people have developed GBS in the days or weeks after receiving certain vaccines” (CDC). According to Mayo Clinic, GBS may be triggered by the COVID-19 virus or the COVID-19 Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Individuals that have had Guillain-Barré Syndrome are at particular risk of reoccurance. Paralysis is common with GBS and can last for years. Olivia Sandor, an incoming freshman, had GBS following a vaccine in 2019 and filed for a medical exemption. She received the exemption but was denied admission to her dream school, BYU Hawaii, after she had already received $200,000 in scholarship money. Her doctor advised her not to get the vaccine at the risk of recurrence and Olivia herself did not feel the vaccine was safe for her. Dr. Nicole Saphier contributed to this on Fox News and said she understands Olivia’s apprehension towards the vaccine because GBS can be triggered by the vaccine.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/guillain-barre-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20362793
https://www.cdc.gov/campylobacter/guillain-barre.html
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To answer the question if there is a link between GBS and the vaccine, UCL conducted a multi-institutional” study in Taiwan and a systematic literature review regarding the emergence of GBS after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. They found that the “classic form and the acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy subtype” (found in GBS) was reported in 39 cases to occur within 2 weeks of receiving the vaccine. They compared GBS treatment rates reported to the NHS England National Immunoglobulin Database between 2016 and 2019 to the cases reported during the pandemic in the first half of 2020. They found that there was no “significant association” between COVID-19 and GBS.
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2020/dec/no-association-between-covid-19-and-guillain-barre-syndrome
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Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine from a Different Perspective
In my research, I discussed Guillain-Barre Syndrome and its particular connection to the COVID-19 vaccine. For my interview, I talked to an individual who had Guillain-Barre Syndrome and has not received the vaccine for fear of how the vaccine will affect them, considering their past medical condition. This individual is my dad. My dad contracted Guillain-Barre Syndrome in the summer of 2014 after we got back from Mexico. It took about a week for the paralysis to set in and he was paralyzed from the neck down for about a year until 2015. He started having some mobility again in 2015 but was not able to fully walk on his own until 2016. At the beginning, the symptoms were similar to a cold; a fever, chills, and body ache. In the matter of one night, he could not move. He was in the hospital for a week and then moved to Citrus Nursing Center, a rehabilitation center located in Fontana, CA. He stayed at Citrus for about 6 months before he was able to come back to our house. He received physical therapy, but there’s only so much you can do when your nerves are damaged. It was a long and difficult process, for him and for my family.
I interviewed him in Spanish, so the following dialogue was translated.
Me: Are you planning on getting the vaccine?
Dad: No
Me: Why?
Dad: Because I want to talk to a doctor before I do anything. I don’t think it’s safe for me to get it.
Me: Have you made an appointment to see the doctor?
Dad: Not yet
Me: If the doctor tells you it’s safe, will you get it?
Dad: Probably not, I don’t feel safe getting it now that I’ve fully recovered.