Concern over protection of immunocompromised from COVID
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A UK study has found that some patients with impaired immune systems have fewer or no antibodies after receiving two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though experts do not know what effect this will have on protection against the virus, they say booster shots may be a good idea for some immunosuppressed people.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Octave Study saw 600 patients with cancer, inflammatory arthritis, kidney disease, liver disease, and recipients of stem cell transplants have their blood tested to detect their levels of antibodies after being vaccinated.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The findings from the study, published as a pre-print in </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Lancet</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, suggest that 40 percent of participants had a sub-optimal antibody response after two doses of AstraZeneca or Pfizer.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Additionally, 11 percent of those with a sub-optimal response had no detectable antibodies four weeks after receiving the second dose.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many of these patients were taking a strong medicine called rituximab, used to treat vasculitis.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Promisingly, the remaining 60 percent of volunteers had similar antibody levels to young people, as well as optimal levels of T-cells - another type of immune cell that can destroy coronavirus cells.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“While 40 percent of these clinically at-risk patient groups were found to have a low or undetectable immune response after a double dose of the vaccine, we are encouraged that this figure isn’t higher,” said Professor Iain McInnes, the lead researcher of the Octave trial.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“However, it is possible even partial protection may be clinically beneficial, and this is something we will closely monitor.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Professor Eleanor Riley, an expert in immunology and infectious diseases at the University of Edinburgh agreed.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“As it is T-cells that are particularly effective at stopping us getting severely ill and needing hospital treatment, we would expect that the vaccine is still offering substantial protection to most of those highly vulnerable people,” she said.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Professor Charles Swanton from Cancer Research UK said: “We know the results could be worrying for those who are clinically vulnerable, but anyone undergoing cancer treatment should continue to follow the advice of their doctors and we encourage all who can to get the vaccine.”</span></p>
