The risk of mortality due to COVID-19 increases by two to three times in individuals with severe mental illness due to frequent comorbidity & high risk factors. Such individuals must be offered early access to safe and efficacious vaccines. However, chronic stress, depression, sleep problems might reduce immune response to vaccine.
Clozapine could be a possible risk factor for COVID-19 infection and vaccination while lithium may act as an immunomodulatory adjuvant. Neuropsychiatric side effects such as transverse myelitis, changes in cognition, sleep, mood and psychomotor activity after vaccination. Vaccination rates can be substantially increased with targeted vaccination programmes & providing patients with updated information about the benefits.
