Recent advice has been published in relation to use of steroid injection and how it might affect the immune response to a vaccine

Please see below. In essence advise is to avoid around 2 weeks before or after vaccine. At the minute timing of the 2nd doses is up to 12 weeks after 1st. We will have a discussion regarding this.

Corticosteroids: oral, intra-articular, intra-muscular or IV and timing of the COVID-19 vaccination

There are some general principles but in each case the benefits and risks should be discussed with the patient to arrive at a shared decision:
• It is safe to have the COVID-19 vaccine alongside steroid exposure, but the patient may not mount such a good immune response.
• Do not delay vaccination for someone who is taking, has received or is soon to receive steroids in any form.
• If additional steroids are required to control inflammatory disease, that may take priority, as a flare can also worsen the risk from COVID-19
• It may be appropriate to delay a non-essential steroid injection, as part of a shared decision, so that the response to the vaccine is more effective. For a patient who is on an elective waiting list for a steroid injection of up to 80mg methylprednisolone or 80mg triamcinolone, the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine is the priority if the vaccine has been offered to the patient and the prevalence of COVID-19 is high. In this scenario, the steroid injection should be deferred by 2 weeks after the vaccine, to enable the patient to mount the best response to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Andrew Brooksbank