What qualifies you for a COVID-19 vaccine medical exemption? A doctor explains

WASHINGTON (WJLA) — As more companies implement COVID-19 vaccine mandates, you might be curious about medical exemptions.

7News Adrianna Hopkins spoke to infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. David Dowdy with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health about who and what exactly qualifies as a medical exemption.

Adrianna: “What health condition or disability might qualify someone for a legitimate medical exemption?”

SEE ALSO | COVID in court: Individual or community freedom?

Dr. David Dowdy: “The only reason you should not get the vaccine from a medical perspective is if you’ve had a severe allergy either to a previous dose of the COVID 19 vaccine or to one of the components of this vaccine which are generally not shared across lots of other vaccines. According to the CDC guidance, there are very few people who are medically not eligible for the vaccine.”

Adrianna: “So is it almost safe to say, you won’t know if you’re severely allergic to the COVID 19 vaccine until you take it?”

Dowdy: “For the most part, that’s true. But we’re not talking about a rash or having some soreness in your arm. We’re talking about having your neck swell up and not being able to breathe sort of reactions.”

RELATED | What qualifies someone for a religious exemption from a COVID-19 vaccine? Lawyer explains

Adrianna: “So a severe anaphylactic - requires you to go to the hospital - type reaction, to a component in the COVID 19 vaccine?”

Dowdy: “That’s correct.”

Adrianna: “People have said they are allergic to peanuts or they have various food allergies that cause severe anaphylactic reactions. Does that count?”

SEE ALSO | Monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID: doctor tells you what you need to know

Dowdy: “Absolutely not. In fact, these vaccine manufacturers are very stringent in making sure they are not cross-contaminating their vaccine product with things like food allergens that could cause that sort of unexpected reaction to someone who has a food allergy.”

Adrianna: “If someone recently had COVID, they’re told to wait a few months to get the COVID 19 vaccine. Does that count as a medical exemption?”

Dowdy: “That would count as a medical reason for a delay in the shot. This does not mean you get exempted from getting the vaccine, it means you should wait.”

Adrianna also asked Dowdy about people who are immunocompromised, may be undergoing chemotherapy or taking immunosuppressant medication. He says not only are you *not medically exempt, but you more than anyone should get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Dowdy did stress that companies can adopt less stringent requirements for a medical exemption, but if they use CDC guidance, your chances of opting out are slim.