USA Today It Isn t Over for Us Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 16 July 2021 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles USA Today It Isn t Over for Us Transplant recipients and patients with immune-mediated disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease-who are often treated with immune-suppressing drugs-should get vaccinated, but continue wearing masks and keep their distance from others, according to Cedars-Sinai experts. Photo by Getty Images. Senior man wearing mask looking through window USA Today recently spoke with Gil Melmed, MD, director of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Research at Cedars-Sinai, about concerns that the COVID-19 vaccines don't provide the same level of protection for individuals with compromised immune systems. Current advice for transplant recipients and patients with autoimmune disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-who are often treated with immune-suppressing drugs-is to get vaccinated, but to act as if they are not. They should continue wearing masks and keep their distance from others when in public for an extra degree of protection against COVID-19, experts say. For IBD patients, the vaccines are safe and provide about 80% protection from COVID-19, which is lower than the level of immunity that healthy people achieve, Melmed told USA Today. But it's impossible to tell exactly what level of immunity any individual has developed. Melmed explained that antibody tests, which look for some types of protective antibodies, may not tell the whole story and only offer a snapshot in time. Melmed is running a registry at Cedars-Sinai with colleagues Dermot McGovern, MD, PhD, and Jonathan Braun, MD, PhD, to track the response of more than 2,000 inflammatory bowel disease patients to vaccination. Based on the results thus far, he said he hasn't seen a higher percentage of so-called breakthrough infections among vaccinated participants than would be expected in the general population, though it is too soon to draw firm conclusions. The goal of the registry is to eventually help researchers understand how vaccine protection might diminish over time and whether this happens faster in people with immune-related diseases such as IBD. Click here to read the complete story from USA Today. Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries October 07, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles HealthDay recently interviewed Rebecca J. Schneyer, MD, a resident in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program at Cedars-Sinai, about a study she led that found Black and Hispanic women were less likely than white women to receive minimally … Read more KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot October 06, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles KCRW program Press Play recently featured Rita Shane, PharmD, vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Cedars-Sinai, discussing who qualifies for the updated COVID-19 booster and how long patients must wait before getting the shot.The Centers … Read more ABC 7 Spider-Man Swings by 4-Year-Old Leukemia Patient s Birthday Party at Cedars-Sinai September 30, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles ABC 7 recently profiled Cedars-Sinai patient Jabari Henley, who celebrated his fourth birthday with a special superhero at Guerin Children's newly opened inpatient facility.The Lifedriven Foundation helped throw Henley a surprise party in the Guerin … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Share this release USA Today It Isn t Over for Us Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home