What should be done if a patient scheduled for vaccination is exposed to COVID-19 or is sick with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection?

An asymptomatic person who is scheduled for COVID-19 vaccination and is exposed to SARS-CoV-2 virus may be vaccinated; however, COVID-19 vaccination after exposure is not recommended as post-exposure prophylaxis, so vaccination should not be expected to prevent illness caused by past exposure. A person who is currently sick with a respiratory virus should defer vaccination until at least the recovery from the acute illness, and consider additional measures to prevent spread, in accordance with current CDC guidance. Healthcare facilities may have specific policies in place to reduce the risk of spread of respiratory viruses to healthcare staff and other patients.

CDC summarizes its current guidance on respiratory viruses (updated March 2024) here: http://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/guidance/index.html.

People who recently had SARS-CoV-2 infection and are due for a COVID-19 vaccine may consider delaying the dose by up to 3 months from symptom onset or positive test (if infection was asymptomatic). According to CDC, increasing the time between infection and vaccination may result in an improved immune response to vaccination. At this time, there is evidence of a low risk of reinfection in the weeks following infection. A recipient’s individual risks for severe disease and current COVID-19 conditions in the community should be taken into account when deciding whether to delay vaccination up to 3 months after infection.