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Promoting Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccinations for People with Kidney Diseases 7 links
- Vaccination rates are very low -- very few dialysis patients in the U.S. are up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.
- Rates for morbidity and mortality are high: (1) About half of all people with kidney disease had a hospital stay in the first 30 days of a COVID-19 diagnosis and (2) People with kidney diseases were twice as likely (compared to people without kidney diseases) to die within 90 days of a COVID-19 diagnosis.
- COVID-19 poses unique risks to people with kidney diseases: (1) People on dialysis can have weaker immune systems, making it harder to fight infections and (2) People with kidney diseases are at higher risk for more serious COVID-19 illness.
- COVID-19 had a huge impact on the kidney patient population: An impact so significant (so many patients died) that for the first time in the 50-year history of the Medicare End-Stage Renal Disease program, the total number of people on dialysis in the United States declined.
- COVID-19 vaccines are safe. Over 50 years of NIH-supported laboratory research converged to develop the science and safety of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
- Many years of research led to the COVID-19 vaccines. The science behind the COVID-19 vaccines was NOT rushed. In fact, these vaccines were developed after decades of scientific research.
- All of the traditional steps for testing, evaluation, and review were completed thoroughly. Vaccine developers did not cut corners – they cut government “red tape.” Because the pandemic was a true global emergency, there was a worldwide effort to remove usual bureaucratic hurdles.
The Benefits of Being Vaccinated Against COVID-19 2 links
- Prevents serious illness: COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are safe and effective at protecting people from becoming seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying.
- A safer way to build protection: Receiving a COVID-19 vaccine is a more lasting way to build protection than immunity after being sick with a COVID-19 infection. Vaccine-induced immunity offers protection against severe illness for at least six months. Infection-induced immunity diminishes after 90-days.
Promoting Vaccines: Know Facts and Bust Myths 3 links
- Myth: "I had a COVID shot last year." -- Fact: The current vaccine formulation is different from previous years and must be used to fight this year’s COVID-19 variant.
- Myth: "I will get sick from the COVID shot." -- Fact: Acknowledge some people may experience mild side effects (i.e., soreness or minor swelling) and give assurance that the vaccine does not cause illness and does not contain a “live virus.
- Myth: "I feel healthy, so I don't have to worry." -- Fact: As a dialysis patient or a staff member of a facility, you may be more vulnerable to infections, hospitalizations, complications, or spreading COVID-19.
