Posted on

Some Kidney Transplant Patients Respond to Fourth COVID Vax Dose

Loading

“A fourth dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine boosted antibodies among half of kidney transplant recipients with suboptimal immune responses after three doses, a French case series found.

Among 92 patients with low anti-spike IgG titers (below 143 binding antibody units/mL) 1 month after the third dose, 50% reached the 143 BAU/mL threshold considered adequate against the initial COVID variants at 1 month following their fourth dose, reported Sophie Caillard, MD, PhD, of Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg in France, and colleagues.”

Read more here.

Loading
Posted on

FAQ: COVID-19 Basics for Transplant Patients

Loading

“If you or a loved one is a UCSF transplant patient, you can find answers here to questions about the COVID-19 vaccines and how to otherwise minimize your risk of infection.

Should I get a fourth dose of the vaccine?

Yes. For immunosuppressed individuals, a series of three mRNA doses is now considered a “primary” series of vaccination against COVID-19. The CDC has approved a fourth dose, as a booster, that you can, and should, get six months after the third shot.

Does vaccination protect against the latest variant of the virus?

Existing vaccines likely do provide some immunity against omicron, the newest known variant of COVID-19, but boosters are important to maximize protection, according to a CDC statement issued when omicron was first detected in South Africa on Nov. 26, 2021. Omicron is now circulating in the United States and is variant has been labeled a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization. It’s considered more contagious than earlier variants, though it’s not yet clear to what extent it poses risk of severe disease.”

Read more here.

Loading
Posted on

COVID-19 Vaccines for Moderately or Severely Immunocompromised People

Loading

“DEFINITION: Immunocompromised

Having a weakened immune system can make you more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19. Many conditions and treatments can cause a person to be immunocompromised or have a weakened immune system. Primary immunodeficiency is caused by genetic defects that can be inherited. Prolonged use of corticosteroids or other immune weakening medicines can lead to secondary or acquired immunodeficiency.”

Learn more here.

Loading
Posted on

Dialysis Patients Mount Best COVID Vax Response After Third Dose

Loading

“Even people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were able to bolster an immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine, researchers reported.

According to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 32 studies, the overall immunogenicity rate for people on dialysis was 86% (95% CI 81-89), noted Chih-Hsiang Chang, MD, of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Linkou, Taiwan, and colleagues in JAMA Network Open.

After the first vaccination dose, those on dialysis saw an immune response rate of 41% (95% CI 32-52, I2=87.3%), which subsequently jumped to 89% (95% CI 85-91, I2=66.7%) after the second dose.”

Read more here.

Loading
Posted on

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine becomes first to win FDA’s full approval, paving way for boosters, mandates

Loading

“Eight months after authorizing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in the USA, the Food and Drug Administration issued its full stamp of approval.

Now that the companies’ detailed, so-called biologics license application has been granted, it’s likely that vaccination will be required by many companies, schools and other entities. 

Monday, President Joe Biden called on companies, nonprofit groups, government agencies and schools to “step up vaccine requirements that will reach millions more people.” 

Vaccinations allowed people in this country to stop worrying about diseases such as smallpox, polio, measles, mumps and rubella, he said, and vaccines can help do the same for COVID-19.”

Read more, here.

Loading
Posted on

U.S. FDA authorizes COVID-19 vaccine boosters for the immunocompromised

Loading

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) for people with compromised immune systems.

The amended emergency use authorization paves the way for people who have had an organ transplant, or those with a similar level of weakened immune system, to get an extra dose.

“After a thorough review of the available data, the FDA determined that this small, vulnerable group may benefit from a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines,” Janet Woodcock, U.S. FDA’s acting commissioner, said in a tweet on Thursday.”

Read more, here.

Loading
Posted on

NIH launches study of third COVID-19 vaccine dose in kidney transplant recipients

Loading

“A pilot study has begun to assess the antibody response to a third dose of an authorized COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in kidney transplant recipients who did not respond to two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The Phase 2 trial is sponsored and funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

The lifelong immunosuppressive therapy that organ transplant recipients must take to prevent organ rejection blunts their immune response to both pathogens and vaccines. Research has shown that many organ transplant recipients do not develop antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, after receiving an authorized COVID-19 vaccine regimen. The purpose of the new study is to determine whether a third dose of one of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines could overcome this problem for at least some kidney transplant recipients. This is particularly important because this population has a high prevalence of conditions that are risk factors for severe COVID-19, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.”

Read more, here.

Loading
Posted on

FDA decision on booster shots for immunocompromised expected soon

Loading

“The nation’s top infectious disease doctor says he believes booster shots for the COVID-19 vaccine should be given “reasonably soon” to people with weakened immune systems.

“We need to look at them in a different light,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said on CNN’s ‘Fareed Zakaria GPS’ on Sunday. “We would certainly be boosting those people before we boost the general population that’s been vaccinated, and we should be doing that reasonably soon.”

The comments from the lead medical adviser to the White House on the pandemic are a change in messaging from about a month ago.”

Read more, here.

Loading
Posted on

Should You Recommend a COVID Booster to Patients?

Loading

“Certain at-risk groups need to consider extra protection now.”

What’s the Current Booster Landscape?

“Several studies offer preliminary evidence on the benefits of boosters, especially for certain populations. A recent French study in JAMA showed that about 50% of 159 kidney transplant patients with low or no measurable antibodies after two doses of an mRNA vaccine mounted a response with a third shot, and with no serious side effects or rejection episodes. A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine also showed the benefits of a third dose in solid organ transplant patients. Pfizer data (that has not yet been peer reviewed) show antibody levels rise 11-fold in patients ages 65 to 75 after a booster.

Around the world, some countries and localities have gotten an early start on boosting. Boosters are being offered to patients over 60 years old in Israel. France is giving a booster dose to the severely immunocompromised 4 weeks after the second dose, and Hungary, Turkey, Thailand, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates are starting booster programs. The Mississippi Health Department is now recommending physicians consider boosters for the immunocompromised.”

Read more, here.

Loading
Posted on

Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine, What Kidney Patients Need to Know

Loading

“

Most doctors agree that the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine for people with kidney disease at any stage, including those on dialysis and those with a kidney transplant, are much greater than the risk of serious complications from the virus than from the vaccine.

Dialysis patients who contract COVID-19 are at extremely high risk of short-term mortality, possibly higher than 20 percent.

The National Kidney Foundation, American Society of Nephrology, and American Society of Transplantation all recommend that people with kidney disease or kidney transplant be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Vaccines are one of the most effective tools to protect your health and prevent disease. Vaccines work with your body’s natural defenses so your body will be ready to fight a virus if you are exposed (also called immunity).”

Read more, here.

Loading