Therapy Areas: Respiratory
Italian studies suggest COVID-19 vaccines less effective in immunocompromised
4 October 2021 -

Three small studies in Italy have indicated that COVID-19 vaccines are less effective in people with weakened immune systems, Reuters news agency reported on Monday.

According to the studies' researchers, this highlights the need to deploy booster shots for this group of vulnerable people.

The Bambino Gesu Hospital in Rome, which conducted the three small studies, stated that the studies revealed that, on average, 30% of immunocompromised patients do not develop immunity to COVID-19 after vaccination.

The remaining 70% respond to the vaccine, especially after the second dose, but to a lesser extent than healthy people and with differences from group to group.

These studies were conducted among a group of 21 patients with primary immunodeficiency disease, 34 children and young adults undergoing heart and lung transplants, along with 45 young people with liver and kidney transplants.

According to the hospital, the results indicate the need to increase the level of protection of the most vulnerable with booster doses.

Currently, there is no consensus among scientists on how widely boosters should be deployed, Reuters added.

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