The scientific community widely accepts that vaccines against such diseases as flu, tetanus and hepatitis B can be less effective in obese adults, making these individuals more vulnerable to illness. Obesity researchers predict similar effects will occur with a COVID-19 vaccine.
“Will we have a COVID vaccine next year tailored to the obese? No way,” Raz Shaikh, PhD, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, told KHN. “Will it still work in the obese? Our prediction is no.”
Decreased vaccine efficacy could complicate a return to work and normal life for more than 107 million obese adults in the U.S. This prediction is also concerning, as obesity is linked to a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 infection, KHN noted.
Despite these concerns, health experts said it is still safer for obese people to get vaccinated, even if they have a diminished immune response.
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