August 18, 2021
Dear PWN family,
We understand and recognize how covid-19 continues to impact and disrupt our lives and our communities. As new information and guidance is released on covid-19 and vaccines, PWN will be here to break it down for you!
Last Friday, the CDC recommended that people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised get an additional dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine after completing the first two doses (or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine). In the case of people living with HIV, they recommend a third shot only for people with “advanced or untreated HIV.”
PWN joined other HIV advocates asking the Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to apply the recommendation broadly to all people living with HIV, regardless of viral load, CD4 counts, or treatment status, to avoid confusion or obstacles to people who need the additional vaccine dose from getting it. We know that accessing medical care has been difficult for many of us during the covid-19 pandemic and that these definitions of HIV wellness can change quickly. However, our recommendation was ignored, and the recommendation applies only to people with “advanced or untreated HIV,” defined as people with detectable viral loads or CD4 counts of less than 200.
We will continue to advocate for recommendations for the third doses to apply to all people living with HIV and will keep our members and base updated with any additional information as it comes out.
In the meantime, if you have a CD4 count below 200 and/or have a measurable viral load, getting a third dose (or a second dose, if you got the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine) as soon as possible is strongly recommended. You can find where to get vaccinated here.
If you still have not gotten your first dose of vaccine, it is time—whether you are living with HIV or not, and no matter the status of your HIV treatment and labs. The minimal risk (think one in a million) of adverse effects to the vaccine are far less than the very real and present risk of severe illness and death due to covid-19 As the virus continues to spread in areas with lower vaccination rates, new variants will continue to evolve. Getting fully vaccinated must be a priority.
Like other vaccines, covid-19 vaccines “train” your immune system to recognize the virus it is designed to prevent or combat, so that when you are exposed to that virus, it will kick into high gear and beat it back before you get seriously ill. The vaccine itself does not stay in your body long-term. For this reason, no vaccine has ever had long-term effects other than preventing illness and death; none has ever had side effects that emerge many months or years after vaccination. In fact, all adverse effects from vaccines occur within a few weeks. The covid-19 vaccines available in the U.S. have been given to many millions of people worldwide with exceedingly few adverse effects and have prevented millions of cases of severe illness, hospitalization, and death.
Have you been hesitating to get vaccinated? Check out this blog from A Girl Like Me blogger Evelyn about her journey from vaccine skeptic to getting vaccinated—and talk to your doctor.
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