Open Access

GUIDELINE

COVID-19 Vaccine Priority Access for Adults and Children with Congenital Heart Disease: A Statement of the Italian Society of Pediatric Cardiology

by Gabriele Egidy Assenza¹, Biagio Castaldi^2,*, Serena Flocco³, Giovanni Battista Luciani⁴, Giovanni Meliota⁵, Gabriele Rinelli⁶, Ugo Vairo⁵, Silvia Favilli⁷

1 Department of Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Medicine, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
2 Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
3 Health Professions Research and Development Unit, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Milano, Italy
4 Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Pediatrics and Gynecology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
5 Pediatric Cardiology, ‘Giovanni XXIII’ Pediatric Hospital, Bari, Italy
6 Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, ‘Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesu’, Roma, Italy
7 Pediatric Cardiology, ‘A. Meyer’ Pediatric Hospital, Firenze, Italy

* Corresponding Author: Biagio Castaldi. Email:

Congenital Heart Disease 2021, 16(5), 427-431. https://doi.org/10.32604/CHD.2021.016713

Received 19 March 2021; Accepted 01 April 2021; Issue published 03 June 2021

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic continues to strike across the world with increasing number of infected patients, severe morbidity and mortality, social life and economy disruption. Universal access to vaccine prophylaxis will be pivotal in controlling this infection and providing individual level protection. However, mismatch between vaccine request and vaccine availability, as well as constraints in logistics of vaccine campaign is creating a transition phase of progressive but still incomplete inclusion of group of individuals in the vaccination process. Selected patients living with chronic and multisystemic disease may present increased propensity of adverse outcome, should Sars-Cov-2 infection develop. In these patients, expedite access to COVID-19 vaccination may be considered. The Italian Society of Pediatric Cardiology National Board is providing a viewpoint to inform policy makers and public authorities during vaccine allocation strategies development, to consider higher priority and expedite access for selected groups of patients living with congenital heart disease.

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Keywords

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