Even with COVID vaccines, people who are obese may still be a population who are highly vulnerable to COVID-19.

COVID-19 Vaccine May Not Work on Obese People

It has been reported that obesity is linked with risk factors for severe COVID-19 symptoms. Since March 2020, studies after studies have poured in from countries around the world reaching the same conclusion. People who are obese are more likely to die from COVID-19 than are those of normal weight, even when factors such as diabetes and hypertension are taken into account.

According to Nature Research Journal vaccines might not be as effective in people who are obese, a population already highly vulnerable to COVID-19.

About 42% of Americans are obese, which poses quite a challenge for the effectiveness of the long and dearly waited for COVID-19 vaccination. Around the globe, a general expectation is when we have the vaccine we will have a strong shield against COVID-19. For the obese, the bad news is vaccine may not be as good of a shield for as it is for non-obese people. It is already established that for people with underlying conditions COVID-19 could manifest complications. Obesity is linked with diabetes, heart disease and other risk factors for severe COVID-19 symptoms, so it is not just obesity but the conditions and diseases that generally go along with it.

Obesity is also linked to less-diverse populations of microbes in the gut, nose and lung; with altered compositions and metabolic functions compared with those in lean individuals. Those gut microbes can influence the immune responses to pathogens and to vaccines. This hypothesis is backed by studies of vaccines against influenza, Hepatitis B and rabies, which have show reduced responses in people who are obese compared with people who are lean.

However some researchers are still unconvinced that obesity will blunt the efficacy of vaccines because those studies on influenza vaccines were relatively small. Even if that is true, there might be ways to compensate for the vaccine shortcomings. One possibility is to give obese people extra doses of vaccine, maybe two or three injections instead of one.

There are currently three leading candidate vaccines currently being tested in large clinical trials. Unfortunately, the trials might not have samples that will allow it to determine whether obesity affects the vaccine response because it depends on who volunteers for the trial. It also depends on how well trial sponsors are at recruiting individuals from under-represented minority groups. In the end the world will still need to wait for data from clinical studies to draw conclusions. However, with the current studies showing an association between the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and obesity, hopefully it can push some governments and their health-care systems to tackle the growing obesity problems in their countries.

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Source: Nature 586, 488-489 (2020)

Pharmaceutical Companies show positive findings in the race for a coronavirus vaccine. A look into what this mean for the American people.

Coronavirus Vaccine Update

Positive News in the Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine

Ever since the coronavirus (COVID-19) entered the world last December, lives have been changed. At this point no country is untouched by this pandemic and although there have been better and worse months, we are currently in a surge worldwide. Many have been watching the news and looking for answers in the form of a vaccine. Up until last week there have been mixed results from many pharmaceutical companies. Every time a vaccine looked promising something would happen in the trials to pause further review. But last week we received some positive news that leads us to some cautious optimism.

The United States pharmaceutical company Pfizer partnered with German Biotech company BioNTech to create a vaccine, and they have been working fervently for months. According to a press release from BioNTech on November 18, results of the trial showed 95% efficacy for their vaccine candidate, which was composed of a 43,000 person study. The even better news is that efficacy only drops to 94% in people older than 65, showing that those who tend to be most vulnerable will be able to benefit from this vaccine. The trial resulted in 8 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the control group, versus 162 confirmed cases in the placebo group. Overall they are not noticing any serious side effects emerging, only 3.7% of participants noticed minor fatigue after injections.

Similarly to Pfizer/BioNTech results, Moderna released data on November 16 stating that their vaccine candidate was 94.5% effective against the coronavirus. Moderna’s trial consisted of 30,000 participants, half of whom received the vaccine and the other half a placebo. 90 participants in the placebo group contracted COVID-19 and 11 ended up with serious infections. Among the vaccine group, only 5 contracted COVID-19 and none of the 5 ended up with serious infection. Moderna also reported that there were no serious side effects from the vaccine, with only a small number of participants reporting minor symptoms like headaches or body aches. (source: CNN)

Why the Vaccine is so Promising

Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines offer a new technology that has not been previously used in vaccines. “The vaccines deliver messenger RNA, or mRNA, which is a genetic recipe for making the spikes that sit atop the coronavirus. Once injected, the body’s immune system makes antibodies to the spikes. If a vaccinated person is later exposed to the coronavirus, those antibodies should stand at the ready to attack the virus”(CNN). With both vaccine trials showing such positive data from their results, we can see that the mRNA technology can be very effective in virus protection.

What Does This Mean For Most of America?

According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has stated there is a chance that the vaccine will be ready for dispersal in late December. The CDC is still set to meet to determine how to allocate vaccines to those who need it most first. Healthcare and front line workers, as well as the most vulnerable and immunocompromised individuals will likely be the first to receive either vaccine, once it has FDA approval for distribution. There are also some differences with the two vaccines that could pose some challenges with making it readily available throughout the entire country. When Pfizer/BioNTech announced their findings earlier in the week they also explained that the vaccine needs to be stored at below 75 degrees celsius, which is colder than any other vaccine. Most drug stores and hospitals/doctors offices don’t have freezers with the capacity to get this cold. Although some larger cities and larger organizations may be able to obtain new freezers by the time the vaccine is available, it is likely that not every suburban or rural area will have the capacity to store this vaccine. On the other hand, Moderna’s vaccine only needs to be stored at below 20 degrees celsius and other vaccines are the same, making this version of the vaccine more accessible to a wider market.

There is no confirmed word yet for when a vaccine from either manufacturer will be available to the widespread population in the United States, but some sources have said it could be this coming Spring. In the meantime, continue practicing safe protocols- like social distancing, wearing masks in public, minimizing group gatherings, washing hands regularly and keeping your body healthy from the inside out. Patience is important in these trying times of pandemic fatigue and with the holidays upon us. As always, we remember how strong and capable we are to get through hard times together.