Vaccines and Safety

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Anchor lead: People who’ve had organ transplants and been vaccinated against Covid-19 must exercise caution, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Most people who receive vaccines against Covid-19 produce robust antibody responses, clinical trials show. Not so for those who have gotten organ transplants, research by Dorry Segev, a transplant surgeon at Johns Hopkins and colleagues has shown.

Segev: This is really important because there are guidelines coming out that says if you have your vaccine you’re fine, you’re immune, you can go out you can hug your family members and your friends, you don’t need to worry about getting the virus. That is not true for transplant patients or probably not true for anybody who’s immunosuppressed. There are about half a million people living in the United States who’ve had an organ transplant and are immunosuppressed. And there are about 11 million other people who take immunosuppression for other  diseases like autoimmune diseases.  :32

Segev says that while more research is needed, anyone who is immunosuppressed needs to remain vigilant. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.