1. < Transplants

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? That is the question.

Posted by silverwoman @silverwoman, Jan 4, 2021

<p>I know I am not the only post-transplant patient who is thinking about getting the coVID vaccination. My nurse coordinator has told me that the transplant team at Jacksonville has not approved vaccination yet because of the lack of experience with it for our group. One of the Infectious Disease doctors has indicated in a Mayo communication that transplants should be getting vaccinated. The nurse coordinator has said that if we choose to get vaccinated then we should do our laboratories once a week. I'm frustrated and confused by the lack of clear guidance and seemingly conflicting opinions. Is anybody else feeling like this? Have you made any decisions about when and if you will get vaccinated?</p>

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Transplants Support Group.

Mentor
Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor | @rosemarya | Jan 8, 2021
In reply to @zon "I will definitely be getting the vaccine. I was accepted into the John Hopkins study for..." + (show)
@zon

I will definitely be getting the vaccine. I was accepted into the John Hopkins study for transplant patients that will receive the vaccine. I’ve let my pcp know that as soon as able I’m ready. Sounds like I will be doing blood work to measure effects over the next year. I really value the advice I get from my team of Mayo docs and Dr. Poland. I fully put my trust in their judgment. Most of these people have spent their lives dedicated to understanding the science and out of interest of being educated I’ve done my own research into RNA or mRNA. One positive from this is how super exciting it is to see the advancements made with mRNA and vaccines!!

Jump to this post

@zon, Thank you for your participation in the John Hopkins study. It is exciting to read the progress and of the advances that are happening in the labs of our medical experts. I transplanted at Mayo, and I am always impressed with how my treatment was/is always based on research.

REPLY
silverwoman | @silverwoman | Jan 8, 2021

I think it was a Yes/No: Are you immunocompromised?

REPLY
2 replies
Mentor
Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor | @rosemarya | Jan 8, 2021
In reply to @silverwoman "I think it was a Yes/No: Are you immunocompromised?" + (show)
@silverwoman

I think it was a Yes/No: Are you immunocompromised?

Jump to this post

The vaccine distribution is slow here. My age and immunocompromised will both qualify me in the same group.

REPLY
2 replies
Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 8, 2021
In reply to @silverwoman "I think it was a Yes/No: Are you immunocompromised?" + (show)
@silverwoman

I think it was a Yes/No: Are you immunocompromised?

Jump to this post

Yes, I have lung cancer

REPLY
1 reply
JK | @contentandwell | Jan 8, 2021
In reply to @rosemarya "The vaccine distribution is slow here. My age and immunocompromised will both qualify me in the..." + (show)
@rosemarya

The vaccine distribution is slow here. My age and immunocompromised will both qualify me in the same group.

Jump to this post

@rosemarya I thought the age qualification, for now, was over 75 and I know you are not. Of course a lot of this is CDC recommendations and it's up to each state to decide how to handle it. I would qualify in NH for being immunosuppressed I believe.
JK

REPLY
1 reply
Mentor
Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor | @rosemarya | Jan 8, 2021
In reply to @contentandwell "@rosemarya I thought the age qualification, for now, was over 75 and I know you are..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@rosemarya I thought the age qualification, for now, was over 75 and I know you are not. Of course a lot of this is CDC recommendations and it's up to each state to decide how to handle it. I would qualify in NH for being immunosuppressed I believe.
JK

Jump to this post

Our state (KY) revised the 75 to 70+
It is confusing here because Connect is a global community.
One needs to be aware of local guidelines for distribution. This whole process of distribution is new, and many of our health departments are not prepared or and are understaffed for this.

I think It depends on the number of doses, location (with or without storage freezers), and the population in a region.

Confused? I am!

REPLY
1 reply
Mentor
Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | Jan 8, 2021
In reply to @rosemarya "The vaccine distribution is slow here. My age and immunocompromised will both qualify me in the..." + (show)
@rosemarya

The vaccine distribution is slow here. My age and immunocompromised will both qualify me in the same group.

Jump to this post

@rosemarya @merpreb @silverwoman Here in Oregon, our county has not received very many doses. There is a fb broadcast by our Public Health Director this afternoon that I plan to watch, as I submitted my dilemma to them the other day. My oncologist is in the next county north, over 100 miles away. But if need be, I will gladly go up there to get the vaccine! I will be sending him a message on the patient portal today. I also have a "tickler" in my file at primary care doctor, for vaccine need.

So glad to hear that patients with health issues are being taken seriously. I qualify for the group 1c by age and health, but they say it might be March or April before the first dose is available to that group. The sheer logistics of identifying people for each group has got to be daunting.
Ginger

REPLY
silverwoman | @silverwoman | Jan 8, 2021
In reply to @rosemarya "Our state (KY) revised the 75 to 70+ It is confusing here because Connect is a..." + (show)
@rosemarya

Our state (KY) revised the 75 to 70+
It is confusing here because Connect is a global community.
One needs to be aware of local guidelines for distribution. This whole process of distribution is new, and many of our health departments are not prepared or and are understaffed for this.

I think It depends on the number of doses, location (with or without storage freezers), and the population in a region.

Confused? I am!

Jump to this post

I think here in Florida the governor has been the one to decide upon the standards for vaccination. I believe at this point anyone over 65 is eligible and also anyone who has serious health issues. The roll out has been a bit rocky, but seems to be smoothing out. One of our major health care organization has become very actively involved in the distribution and this past week have given about 2,000 shots per day at two different locations, this in addition to whatever the county health department is doing. When Gov DeSantis was here on Wednesday he spoke about making the vaccine available at a major supermarket's pharmacy since seniors by in large are going to the grocery store (one of the few places many must go). I'm sure with just a couple more weeks the shakedown cruise will have shown them how to do this efficiently; they will learn from their mistakes. Folks like Ginger who are living with a health-related time constraint, should go to the front of the line. Perhaps call the Oregon Governor's office and get him involved??? It couldn't hurt; if he/she doesn't know, it won't get fixed.

REPLY
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.