Immunocompromised people, for whom the risk of developing a severe form of Covid-19 is greater, are those who react the least to the vaccine, according to scientific data.
Even after two injections, their immune response is insufficient.
In general, vaccination is less effective for this patient population, due to the weakening of their immune defenses.
The one against the Covid-19 is no exception to the rule.
A study coordinated by Dr. Dorry Segev, a transplant surgeon at Johns-Hopkins University, shows that only 17% of immunocompromised patients who received the first dose of messenger RNA vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech) developed antibody against Covid-19, twenty days after the injection, reports Le Monde.
However, clinical trials conducted in the general population showed that at the same time, almost 100% of volunteers had detectable antibodies.
More significant: "Only 45% of immunocompromised patients present antibodies after the second dose, according to results which should be published shortly", indicates the daily.
According to the Société francophone de transplantation, “the vaccine is more than 90% effective in the general population.
We do not know the figures for the transplanted.
The response may be a little less, ”she wrote in a statement to patients on her website.
Other data: the risk of death is multiplied by six for people with lung transplants, and by seven for people with kidney transplants, according to the EPI-Phare study, carried out using data from Medicare.
Aware of this problem, the Directorate General of Health (DGS) recommended Sunday evening to inject a third dose of PfizerBioNTech or Moderna vaccine for people with very fragile immune systems.
"In accordance with the opinion of April 6, 2021 of the Vaccine Strategy Orientation Council, the injection of a third dose of messenger RNA vaccine is necessary for severely immunocompromised people," wrote the DGS in an urgent message.
This concerns solid organ transplant recipients, recent bone marrow transplant recipients, dialysis patients and patients with autoimmune diseases on strong anti-CD20 or anti-metabolite immunosuppressive therapy.
Soon a third dose for cancer patients?
"This third injection must take place at least 4 weeks after the second dose, or as soon as possible for people who have already exceeded this period", specifies the health authority.
Renaloo, an association of patients with kidney failure, welcomed the news on its Twitter account.
✅ @Sante_Gouv officializes the 3rd #mRNA dose for severely immunocompromised patients #dialysis #greffe
✅ The #Covid vaccination of their relatives will be confirmed in the coming days.
👉 Reassured by these essential advances that we demanded.
https://t.co/KkOklOMN00 pic.twitter.com/xuiy7azlGz
- Renaloo (@Renalooo) April 11, 2021
Further recommendations on the need for a third dose should follow, this time for chronic renal failure patients not on dialysis, cancer patients and patients with autoimmune diseases on other immunosuppressive therapy.
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In France, more than 80,000 people are living thanks to an organ transplant or dialysis in the event of renal failure, according to the 2015 report from the REIN registry.
