Organ transplant recipients still at high risk for Covid after vaccination

[Katy]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210506163616.htm

Sharing because I know at least two boardies have close family members who are transplant recipients.

[YaelAldrich]

My neighbor has a kidney transplant three years ago. She (and get vaccinated physician husband) was vaccinated against Covid, but both caught it from their son last month. It was bad but not bad enough to have to go to the hospital.

[ktgrok]

Ugh, my son's aunt (late ex husband's sister) is a heart transplant recipient here in Florida. 

[Catwoman]

30 minutes ago, Katy said:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210506163616.htm

Sharing because I know at least two boardies have close family members who are transplant recipients.

Thanks, Katy! We knew about this study because dh was asked to be a part of it, but I’m sure many people had never heard about it.

I should point out that the J&J vaccine was not included in the study, and also that the results aren’t entirely conclusive, as there was a very uneven number of participants in terms of which organ(s) they had received — and which organ it was can make a big difference in how well a vaccine might work.

But the main takeaway is that organ transplant recipients can’t just assume that their vaccines are protecting them very well, and they (and their families) should continue to be vigilant about taking precautions like wearing masks and social distancing.

This study is one of the reasons why I get so annoyed with the anti-vaxxers who keeps saying they should be able to stop masking and stop being careful because, “everyone who wants the vaccine can get it.” Well, yeah, except that even once they are vaccinated, people like the elderly, transplant recipients, and anyone else who is immunosuppressed, may still not be well-protected.

Thanks again for posting this!

[*Jessica*]

😔 My Dad had a liver transplant ten years ago. 

[JennyD]

I have been following this news with dismay.  A good friend of ours had a kidney transplant last November.  Thank goodness the pediatric vaccines are coming soon -- he will be much safer once their kids can be vaccinated, too.  Still, it is alarming that he remains so vulnerable.

[Catwoman]

1 hour ago, JennyD said:

I have been following this news with dismay.  A good friend of ours had a kidney transplant last November.  Thank goodness the pediatric vaccines are coming soon -- he will be much safer once their kids can be vaccinated, too.  Still, it is alarming that he remains so vulnerable.

Yes, and what is even more alarming is that many transplant centers are encouraging organ recipients to get vaccinated, without warning them that the vaccine may not be particularly effective for them, so they may not realize that they still need to be very careful.

[Catwoman]

2 hours ago, StillJessica said:

😔 My Dad had a liver transplant ten years ago. 

Jessica, one thing you should know is that not many liver transplant recipients were included in the Johns Hopkins study, so the data may or may not be accurate for your dad (or for my dh, who had his liver transplant five years ago.) Apparently, many experts believe that the type of transplant received may be pertinent, but there isn’t enough data to prove anything yet.

Also, there is also another big variable, which is that transplant recipients are at all different levels of immunosuppression, and at 5 and 10 years out from their transplants, the my dh and your dad may are probably on lower doses of their medications than those who recently received their transplants — and that could mean that the vaccines will work better for them (I hope!) 

If I hear any new information regarding the vaccines and liver transplant patients, I will be sure to let you know! 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Hmmm.  My nephew is over ten years out from his heart transplant.  I know that their whole family has been so cautious. 

[Pawz4me]

5 hours ago, Catwoman said:

Yes, and what is even more alarming is that many transplant centers are encouraging organ recipients to get vaccinated, without warning them that the vaccine may not be particularly effective for them, so they may not realize that they still need to be very careful.

Are all vaccine locations not warning people? I'm immune suppressed due to a medication for RA. I got my Covid vaccines at our local health department. One of their pre-vaccination questions asks about immune status due to transplants or medications, and when I answered affirmatively (both vaccinations) I was told that I wouldn't get the full protective benefit. Is that question and warning not standard when getting vaccinated?

[*Jessica*]

5 hours ago, Catwoman said:

Jessica, one thing you should know is that not many liver transplant recipients were included in the Johns Hopkins study, so the data may or may not be accurate for your dad (or for my dh, who had his liver transplant five years ago.) Apparently, many experts believe that the type of transplant received may be pertinent, but there isn’t enough data to prove anything yet.

Also, there is also another big variable, which is that transplant recipients are at all different levels of immunosuppression, and at 5 and 10 years out from their transplants, the my dh and your dad may are probably on lower doses of their medications than those who recently received their transplants — and that could mean that the vaccines will work better for them (I hope!) 

If I hear any new information regarding the vaccines and liver transplant patients, I will be sure to let you know! 

 

Thank you!  I’ll go read more.  I’m pretty sure my dad is at the lowest dose of his immunosuppressant.  I have a physically disabled brother who keeps saying he thinks he’s immune so he won’t get the vaccine at this point, and my parents have to drive him to do his doc appointments and grocery shopping.  I was taking him for a while until my parents got fully vaccinated, then they went back to doing it because my younger kids can’t be vaccinated yet.  Looks like I should start taking him again, or use this info to help convince him to get the vaccines!  

[ktgrok]

And this stuff is why hearing people say, "we won't need masks indoors by July" makes me angry. We won't even have a vaccine for kids under 12 by then! Masks need to be based on vaccines available to EVERYONE or those age kids will keep spreading it. Plus, if you are in an area where people don't want to vaccinate, etc. Metrics can't be arbitrary like that. 

 

[Catwoman]

6 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

Are all vaccine locations not warning people? I'm immune suppressed due to a medication for RA. I got my Covid vaccines at our local health department. One of their pre-vaccination questions asks about immune status due to transplants or medications, and when I answered affirmatively (both vaccinations) I was told that I wouldn't get the full protective benefit. Is that question and warning not standard when getting vaccinated?

They should be warning people, but I have heard a lot of conflicting information about it, so maybe it varies from location to location, or even from one person to another, depending on who is doing the paperwork. 

In the case of transplant patients, I think the transplant centers should have sent warnings to their patients, but in my dh’s case, they sent a letter advising him to be vaccinated, but failed to mention that the vaccine might have limited efficacy. I was very unhappy about that and I called and complained about it. They seem to make the assumption that transplant patients will stay up to date on medical information, but let’s face it, transplant patients are just ordinary people, and many of them aren’t well educated or well-informed, and they trust their doctors to warn them of dangers relating to their transplant status.

I feel the same way about cancer patients and others (like you!) who are on immunosuppressants  — I know it’s a lot of work for doctors and health systems to notify their patients of every little thing, but this is something that can literally be life or death, and if the general assumption is that if you get a Covid vaccine, you are 95% protected, but certain populations aren’t actually well-protected at all, those people should be given that information so they won’t have false expectations about their immunity to Covid. 

[Catwoman]

6 hours ago, StillJessica said:

Thank you!  I’ll go read more.  I’m pretty sure my dad is at the lowest dose of his immunosuppressant.  I have a physically disabled brother who keeps saying he thinks he’s immune so he won’t get the vaccine at this point, and my parents have to drive him to do his doc appointments and grocery shopping.  I was taking him for a while until my parents got fully vaccinated, then they went back to doing it because my younger kids can’t be vaccinated yet.  Looks like I should start taking him again, or use this info to help convince him to get the vaccines!  

It’s so hard to know what to do. I know that we were very much looking forward to getting back to some semblance of normal once we were vaccinated, so it was incredibly disappointing to see the results of the Johns Hopkins study, because now we feel like we still have to be extra-vigilant. 

I hope you can convince your brother to get the vaccine. Maybe you can approach it from the angle that even if he had Covid in the past, his immunity won’t last forever, and it’s probably already waning, so he should get the shot as extra protection for your Dad. Would it help to remind him about how guilty he would feel if he got Covid and passed it to your parents?

One encouraging thing — my dh’s doctor has said the outcomes for liver transplant patients haven’t been anywhere near as bad as they originally feared, and that while there have been a few deaths, the vast majority of the transplant patients who got Covid have made a full recovery. 

[kiwik]

People who have had organ transplants are susceptible to everything.  Don't the anti reljection drugs work by reducing the immune response?

[TravelingChris]

1 minute ago, kiwik said:

People who have had organ transplants are susceptible to everything.  Don't the anti reljection drugs work by reducing the immune response?

Yes,  and much stronger than the immunosuppression that autoimmune people use.