COVID protection and treating anemia

My son is now under the doctor who is dealing with this issue.

Excellent!

No, my son has never shown the slightest signs of anemia in his yearly blood tests. Last week he had his yearly blood test which is showing he has anemia for the first time. He had Astra Zeneca in April and the second jab in May. I do not know as yet what the doctors plans are to help my son.

Hello, I am wondering if anyone has came across new information regarding this topic. I am 30 weeks pregnant & have been recently diagnosed as being severely anemic. My ferritin level is a 4, my RBC, hematocrit & hgb are very low as well. I recently started iron transfusions this past week & have one a week scheduled for the next 4 weeks. I have asked my midwife if I should get the vaccine and she told me to ask the doctor administering the infusion. When asking the nurses who administered the infusion to ask the doctor overseeing my procedure, one nurse told me there are certain infusions that you should not receive while also receiving vaccine. The 2nd nurse told me that it shouldn’t be an issue and that I should be fine to get it. They were running behind & did not ask the doctor his opinion as I requested. While giving me conflicting information and not sounding too sure of themselves, I don’t feel comfortable proceeding without a positive response. I have an appointment tomorrow morning to receive my first dose of the covid vaccine and am hoping I can get clarification before then. I’ve had people suggest me to wait until my levels are up. If I do that, I will not be fully vaccinated and have passed antibodies to the baby before going into labor. I have been told to hold off on the remainder of the infusions but I am so symptomatic & there is nothing anyone is willing to do to help me with my symptoms at this point. I am still very symptomatic after my first infusion. I am also taking iron orally two times a day on tops of the infusions. Any insight helps!

This must be very reassuring for you.

Hello, and welcome to the Mayo Connect community. We are people living with a wide variety of diseases and conditions, who try to help one another along the way. We each strive to be informed medical consumers, and our own best advocates in our care. We are not medical professionals, so not able to provide medical advice. We can tell you what has worked for us (or not) and provide you with information and conversation about your question.

I understand how hard it is to make decisions during pregnancy - you are deciding for 2 people, not just yourself. I'm not going to give you medical advice here, but rather self-advocacy advice.

First, the CDC definitely recommends the vaccine for pregnant women. Second, in the past (pre-Covid), it was shown that the immunity conferred by vaccines was lower if hemoglobin was low, but there were antibodies generated.

I suggest speaking to your OB (or if you have access, a certified Nurse Midwife) about your specific situation. This is important information, so if you need, insist on an answer. I would ask about both vaccination and continuing your infusions. It may be easier to do this via your on-line patient portal if you have one. Then the answer can be thought out and written when the practitioner is not so rushed. Or perhaps you need to arrange a phone consult with the provider, since asking the nurses wasn't helpful.

Will you let me know what you learn - this may be important information for others on Connect with a similar question.
Sue

So i got first dose of sinovac vaccine but the doctor there told me to wait a month after i got vaccinated to get the infusion. But my haematologist told me i can get infusion after one to two weeks when i feel better with the side effects. I've also felt really fatigued these days, i have to sleep 3-4hours in the afternoon, so i'm not sure if its the side effects from the vaccine or my low ferritin? What should i do? (ferritin at 10)

I'm curious does low ferritin makes the vaccine less effective?
Thanks for the advice beforehand!!

Hi @ineedreassurance, welcome. You'll notice that I moved your message to this existing discussion about low iron and the COVID vaccine. This article from the European Hematology Association February 2021 suggest "that individuals with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) were advised to correct the deficiency prior to vaccination against Covid-19."

See the full article here:
- Normal Iron and Hemoglobin Levels Are Needed for Optimizing the Response to COVID-19 Vaccination:
https://bioiron.org/news/iron-stories/normal-iron-hemoglobin-levels-covid19-vaccination.aspx
You might wish to discuss these findings with your hematologist. The vaccine can also contribute to feeling fatigued. When did you get the vaccine?

i got it one week ago.

My husband had the covid vaccine January and February. He was diagnosed and admitted to the hospital with severe anemia 12/7 and again a week later for same. He has received 2 units of blood and 2 of iron each time. Internal blood loss found and repaired. He is taking iron, b12, and supplements at home. He has a pacemaker as well. I am am afraid for him to get a booster until he has improved. He is 85. I do not have a doctor that I trust for a recommendation as his blood work showed this was ongoing for over 3 months and noNE thought ithat important. Shouldn't he wait to get the covid booster?