The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine may be less effective in people with obesity, according to a new study by Italian researchers.
What is happening?
Italian researchers recently found in new data that health care professionals with obesity produced about half of the antibodies from a second injection compared to healthy people, reports The Guardian.
- “Although it is too early to know what this means for the vaccine’s effectiveness, it could mean that people with obesity need an additional booster dose to ensure they are adequately protected against the coronavirus,” according to The Guardian.
Obesity has increased the risk of death from COVID-19 – one of the reasons why it is one of the medical problems that makes it possible to get the vaccine in Utah.
According to The Guardian, the risk of obesity with COVID-19 may be one of the reasons why the vaccine may be ineffective.
- “Part of this may be because people with obesity generally have other underlying medical conditions, such as heart disease or type 2 diabetes, which increase the risk of coronavirus, but excess body fat can also cause metabolic changes, such as insulin resistance and inflammation , which makes it more difficult for the body to fight infections. “
Still, get the vaccine
Experts also encourage people with obesity to get the COVID-19 vaccine, if they qualify in their state. Dr. Fatima Stanford, a doctor who works with obesity, told the NPR that obesity is “a good measure” for assessing potential risk factors.
- Those with obesity who are not vaccinated have an increased risk of serious illness due to COVID-19.
- “We are talking about two inflammatory conditions. We have chronic inflammation associated with obesity, the disease, which does not work well with COVID-19’s acute inflammatory process, ”said Stanford, who works at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.