The Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines contain polyethylene glycol (PEG). For comprehensive information on allergies and the COVID-19 vaccines, see the CDC webpage COVID-19 Vaccines for People with Allergies.Īllergic Reactions to COVID-19 Vaccination Ingredients are Rare An immediate allergic reaction is one that occurs within 4 hours of vaccination and includes symptoms such as hives, swelling, wheezing or respiratory distress. According to the CDC, a severe allergic reaction is one that needs to be treated with epinephrine, an EpiPen or with medical care. The most common medical conditions for which an exemption would be required under the ADA are known allergic reactions to ingredients in a COVID-19 vaccine or immediate reactions to a previous dose of one of the vaccines. Similarly, an employee who suffered from multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-A) during or after COVID-19 infection should also wait until 90 days after COVID-19 infection or diagnosis with MIS-A (MIS-A is a condition in which different body parts become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs).Īllergic Reactions to Ingredients in the COVID-19 Vaccines An employee with COVID-19 who was treated with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, however, should wait until 90 days after treatment before getting vaccinated. Employees who have been infected with COVID-19 should still be vaccinated as vaccination protects against re-infection. expected vaccine side effects experienced from previous COVID-19 or flu vaccines (fever, chills, fatigue, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle or joint pain) įurther, according to the CDC, previous infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is not a medical reason for which exemptions should be granted.local injection site reactions (redness, pain, itchiness) after previous vaccinations.allergic reactions to ingredients not in any of the COVID-19 vaccines.being immunocompromised or taking medications that suppress the immune system.autoimmune conditions, including Guillain-Barre syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome.The federal Centers for Disease Control has made clear that people who have the following conditions may safely be vaccinated against COVID-19: There are, however, many misconceptions about the safety of the vaccine for people with certain disorders. The employee may be held to the vaccination requirement and, ultimately, fired.įew Medical Conditions or Disabilities Stand in the Way of COVID-19 VaccinationĪs it happens, there are few medical conditions that prevent someone from safely getting a COVID-19 vaccine. But an employee who fails to provide the information requested, attested to by their physician, is not entitled to an accommodation. How does the condition makes it unsafe for the employee to receive any or all of the COVID-19 vaccines? The EEOC has said that it generally considers exemption from a vaccine requirement to be a reasonable accommodation in where an employee provides such information. The employer is entitled to documentation from the employee’s health care provider about the nature of the medical condition that makes vaccination inadvisable. Suppose an employer requires all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and an employee asks for an exemption as an accommodation under the ADA. An employer may require documentation from a medical professional sufficient to establish the existence of a disability and to show how it interferes with the employee’s ability to perform job duties or fulfill conditions of employment. The likely accommodation would be exemption from the vaccination requirement. A medical condition that would make it dangerous for an employee to receive a COVID-19 vaccination would be a disability that would require an accommodation. What kinds of conditions would justify an exemption? What documentation may an employer require? A future blog post will address requests for religious accommodations.Īs a general rule, the ADA requires employers to provide a reasonable accommodation to the disabilities of employees. This blog post looks at the medical exemption under the ADA. Media reports suggest that employees are asking for medical or religious exemptions in significant numbers. Vaccine mandates are lawful, subject only to medical exceptions required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and religious exceptions required by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (see here). In the near future, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the North Carolina Division of Occupational Safety and Health (NC OSH) are likely to require most larger employers to adopt a vaccine mandate (see here). An increasing number of employers are making vaccination against COVID-19 a condition of employment.
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