19. ACR COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance Recommends Vaccination, Addresses Immunosuppressant Drugs & Patient Concerns

This show is a special one and covers a topic that so many of you have been asking about! The American College of Rheumatology just released its guidance on the COVID-19 vaccine for patients with rheumatic diseases, and we have the lead author, Dr. Jeff Curtis, on with our host to discuss the research and recommendations.   

 

Throughout the show, you will hear Dr. Curtis the ACR’s recommendation that all patients with rheumatic diseases should get the vaccine and that it does not matter which one you get—just make sure your second dose is by the same brand. Bottom line: get whichever one is available to you as soon as you can get it.

 

They also discuss the process of developing the ACR guidance, the experts involved including epidemiologists, rheumatologists, and infectious disease clinicians; and how they plan to keep the document updated.

 

And finally, they discuss the safety and efficacy of the vaccines despite how rapidly they were developed, the low risk of disease flares, and the importance of ongoing research on this topic.

 

This is the episode you want to listen to NOW!