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We’re Masking Up Again, But is a Cloth Mask Good Enough?

2024-03-28T20:58:58-04:00October 5th, 2021|Categories: eNews, Immunizations, Mental Health, News & Events, Quality of Life, Staying Healthy|Tags: |

During the start of the pandemic, when both surgical masks and N95s were in short supply, cloth masks began to make an appearance. Even when the supply of disposable masks began to improve and were more widely available to the public again, cloth masks continued to grow in popularity due to their ability to be personalized to the wearer. Like a certain sports team? You could find a mask with their logo. Want everyone to know your affinity for gardening? Wear a mask printed with different plants and flowers on it. Now that we are having to mask back up due [...]

Understanding the New Talk Around “Booster Shots”

2024-03-28T20:58:58-04:00October 1st, 2021|Categories: eNews, Immunizations, News & Events, Staying Healthy|Tags: |

You may have heard the term a third dose or a booster shot for the COVID19 vaccine. To clarify, The CDC had already approved a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems.  This includes people who have received an organ transplant and are taking medication to suppress their immune system. Learn more about receiving a third dose at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/immuno.html. Now, the CDC has approved a booster shot for both certain populations and for people  who work in high risk work settings who have received the two-dose  Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. This [...]

For Dialysis Patients: Update on COVID-19, Delta Variant and Vaccination

2024-03-28T20:58:59-04:00September 4th, 2021|Categories: eNews, Immunizations, Physical Health, Staying Healthy|Tags: |

Written by: Alan S. Kliger, M.D., Clinical Professor of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, and Co-Chair, American Society of Nephrology (ASN) COVID-19 Response Team. COVID-19 continues to be a dangerous infection for dialysis patients. Here are some facts every patient should know: Why should I get vaccinated now if I’ve been waiting so far? The vaccines clearly protect dialysis patients, particularly by greatly reducing hospitalizations, complications and death from COVID-19 infection. If you’ve been waiting to see if the vaccine is safe, there have now been hundreds of millions of people vaccinated, with almost no severe complications from the vaccine. Did [...]

FDA Authorizes Third Dose “Booster Shots” of Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines for Immunocompromised Individuals

2024-03-28T20:59:01-04:00August 13th, 2021|Categories: eNews, Immunizations, Staying Healthy|Tags: |

On Thursday, August 12, 2021, the FDA updated the emergency-use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines. Americans with compromised immune systems are now eligible for a third dose, or booster shot, of these vaccines. This broadened EUA includes individuals who are kidney transplant recipients or have other diagnosed conditions that are considered to be of “equivalent level of immunocompromise.” This decision was made after a thorough review of the available data, in order to allow doctors to boost the immunity of some of their most vulnerable patients who need extra protection from COVID-19. Many transplant patients have been [...]

Here’s why the CDC recommends wearing masks indoors even if you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19

2024-03-28T20:59:03-04:00August 1st, 2021|Categories: eNews, Immunizations, Lifestyle, Staying Healthy|Tags: |

By Peter Chin-Hong, University of California, San Francisco. What science supports masking after vaccination? Masks help stop the spread of the coronavirus. They’re a literal layer between you and any virus in the air and can help prevent infection. The reason public health officials are calling for more mask-wearing is that there is clear and mounting evidence that – though rare – breakthrough COVID-19 infections can occur in people who are fully vaccinated. This is particularly true with emerging variants of concern. The good news is that COVID-19 infection, if it does happen, is much less likely to lead to serious illness or death in vaccinated people. Some [...]

If You’ve Gotten a COVID-19 Vaccine, Don’t Get an Antibody Test

2024-03-28T20:59:06-04:00June 9th, 2021|Categories: eNews, Immunizations|Tags: |

Thanks to the COVID-19 vaccines, life is beginning to look a little more like it did pre-pandemic and people are out and about as many states start opening back up. Some people are uncertain about the effectiveness of the vaccine or its ability to protect against different variants and have considered antibody tests as a way to check the effectiveness of their vaccine. Public health officials are urging fully vaccinated people not to get antibody tests though, as they have limitations. Antibody tests are a great way to understand if someone has been previously infected with coronavirus and didn’t know at [...]

COVID-19 Vaccines for Dialysis and Transplant Patients – What We Know

2024-03-28T20:59:10-04:00May 3rd, 2021|Categories: eNews, Immunizations, Staying Healthy|Tags: |

As more and more people in the United States receive the COVID-19 vaccine, researchers have been able to learn more about efficacy rates in different patient populations. Unfortunately, preliminary research suggests that efficacy rates may be lower in both dialysis and transplant patients. In a small study, published April 6, 2021 on CJASN ePress, researchers found that, although study participants on hemodialysis did develop a substantial antibody response following two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine, it was significantly lower than the response of the control group comprised of participants not on dialysis. It was also found that older patients, regardless [...]

New Organ Transplant Guideline Promotes Patient Safety, Organ Availability

2024-03-28T20:59:18-04:00April 19th, 2021|Categories: Immunizations, Kidney Transplant, The Kidney Citizen|

By Sridhar Basavaraju, MD, FACEP, CDR-USPHS and Heather Ewing Ogle, MA, MPH In the United States, there are approximately 90,000 patients with end-stage renal disease waiting for a transplant. For those patients, a kidney transplant could substantially improve their quality of life. Unfortunately, an organ offer may not be available for every patient in need because of the length of the waiting list. With guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Public Health Service released a new guideline in 2020 that may increase the number of available organs for those in need of a transplant. The [...]

So, You’ve Been Vaccinated. Now What?

2024-03-28T20:59:21-04:00April 5th, 2021|Categories: Additional Resources, eNews, Immunizations|Tags: |

First of all, congratulations! It has been a long and difficult year for everyone, and finally having some protection against COVID-19 feels good. We still have a ways to go though, and since we are still learning about how the vaccines will affect the spread of the virus, it is important that everyone one keeps taking precautions – such as wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds or poorly ventilated indoor spaces. The CDC has also provided some recommendations to help with decision making in daily activities for people who have been vaccinated. The first thing [...]

Dialysis Patients and COVID-19: Should I get the vaccine? If I get the virus, should I take the antibody treatment?

2024-03-28T20:59:28-04:00February 8th, 2021|Categories: eNews, Immunizations, The Kidney Citizen|Tags: |

Written by: Alan S. Kliger, M.D., Clinical Professor of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, and Co-Chair, American Society of Nephrology (ASN) COVID-19 Response Team. As 2021 unfolds, the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Dialysis patients continue to isolate at home, socially distance from family and friends, use face coverings and precautions traveling to dialysis and in the unit. How will this pandemic end? Many patients have important questions about the new vaccines and about new treatments for the infection. First, some facts about the vaccines: What is a vaccine? An injected vaccine is designed to stimulate your immune system to produce antibodies that [...]

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