ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Charlie Fink is alive today from the gift of organ transplant.
But he takes medicine to quiet his immune system so his body won’t reject someone else’s kidney. And those immunosuppressants impacted the level of protection he’s received from the COVID-19 vaccine.
And he’s not alone.
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A John Hopkins Study shows that only 17% of organ transplant patients showed antibodies after the first shot.
Dr. Aftab Khan said he’s worried people on immunosuppressants will have a false sense of security from the shot, not realizing the drugs they’re on may interfere with their immune system’s ability to create antibodies.
In the John Hopkins study, the number of transplant patients with antibodies improved to 54% after the second shot. But that still means nearly half are left unprotected.
John Hopkins suggest a third booster shot may be the answer for those patients.
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