When will you, as a survivor, be able to get vaccinated against the coronavirus?

The government wants to vaccinate the most vulnerable people in our country first. People at higher risk of exposure to the virus are also a priority.

In the very first instance, therefore, the residents and staff of residential care centers and care staff in hospitals are vaccinated. Then it is the turn of staff from primary care (general practitioners, pharmacists ...), staff from collective care facilities (care for the disabled ...) and the other hospital staff.

If you are older than 65, you will get priority

After the above-mentioned groups have been vaccinated, everyone over 65 will be offered a vaccination. This will be done from March onwards.

The Superior Health Council established four priority levels for everyone under 65 on the 5th of February. If you are younger than 65, read below to see what applies to you.

4 priority levels for everyone under 65

Below, you will find the list of groups of people under the age of 65 who should receive priority during the vaccination against the coronavirus. In this list, we focus specifically on what applies to people affected by breast cancer.

Priority level 1 (vaccination from March onwards):

- 45- to 64-year-olds with certain conditions (including recent breast cancer);
- 18- to 64-year-olds with specific conditions such as impaired immunity due to the use of certain medications, such as certain chemotherapy and immunotherapy or targeted therapy (see list below). It is best to get vaccinated before the start of these treatments. If that is impossible, you will find in the list below for each medicine how long you have to wait after treatment to be vaccinated. For this group (and only for them), the Superior Health Council recommends considering vaccinating direct contacts as well.

Priority level 2 (vaccination period to be confirmed):

- 45- to 64-year-olds without specific conditions;
- 45- to 64-year-olds who have had breast cancer in the past, have been treated, whose cancer is under control, who are in remission and who do not require treatment or follow-up (five years after diagnosis).

Priority level 3 (vaccination period to be confirmed):

- 18- to 44-year-olds with one or more conditions, such as recent breast cancer, who have no impaired immunity from the use of certain medications, such as certain chemotherapy and immunotherapy or targeted therapy.

Priority level 4 (vaccination period to be confirmed):

- 18- to 44-year-olds who have had breast cancer in the past, have been treated, whose cancer is under control, who are in remission and who no longer require treatment or follow-up (five years after diagnosis);
- the rest of the population.

Young people under the age of 18

At the moment, young people under the age of 18 in Belgium cannot be vaccinated against the coronavirus. There are still insufficient data on the safety and efficacy of vaccination in this age group. Very serious conditions are also much less common in this category than in the other age groups. This is another reason why it is currently not yet recommended to vaccinate people under the age of 18.

Important note

The recommendations further state: ‘The priority levels and examples of diseases and conditions should not be regarded as strict and firm recommendations. They can evolve according to the available data and the different types of vaccines.’