Organ transplant recipients likely to get Covid even after vaccination: Study

New York: According to a study by researchers at the John Hopkins University, the immunity of patients who have had organ transplants will not increase even after two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. They further recommend that transplant recipients follow safety protocols strictly even after the vaccine.

After receiving Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, sufficient antibody was produced only in 54% of those who had vital organ transplants. The research has been published in the Journal of American Medical Association.

"Given these observations, transplant recipients should not assume that two vaccine doses guarantee sufficient immunity against SARS-CoV-2 any more than it did after just one dose," said Dorry Segev, co-author of the study, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Often, the recipients of vital organ transplants, including the heart, lungs, and liver, must take medicines to prevent the rejection of new organs, which may prevent the ability of the body to generate antibodies against the viruses through vaccines, observed the researchers.

The study was conducted on 658 people who underwent organ transplants. None of them was reported as Covid positive from December 16, 2020, to March 13, 2021. Researchers found detectable antibodies in 98 out of 658 participants (15%) after 21 days of the first dose of the vaccine.

The antibodies were produced in 357 out of 658 participants(54%) after 29 days of receiving the second dose of vaccine. Despite both doses, antibodies were not produced in 301 out of 658 participants (46%). 259 people (39%) had detectable antibodies only after the second dose of the vaccine, found the study.

"Based on our findings, we recommend that transplant recipients and other immunocompromised patients continue to practice strict COVID-19 safety precautions, even after vaccination," said lead author Brian Boyarsky.