COVID-19 vaccines may not work in some people with underlying conditions: media

WASHINGTON, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 vaccination may not work fully or at all for millions of immunocompromised Americans, or about 3 percent to 4 percent of the U.S. population, reported The Washington Post on Wednesday.

"Early research shows that 15 (percent) to 80 percent of people with certain medical conditions, such as specific blood cancers or organ transplants, are generating few antibodies after receiving coronavirus vaccines," the newspaper said.

Federal health officials' decision last week to rescind almost all masking and distancing recommendations for those who are fully vaccinated only added to the sense of fear, isolation and confusion for those with immune issues, it added.

On Twitter and other social media platforms, many such patients expressed frustration that the change might leave them with less freedom as their risk of infection grows after more of their neighbors and co-workers ditch their masks.

"Vaccine makers excluded immunocompromised people from their clinical trials in an understandable rush to develop a way to protect as many people as quickly as possible. As a result, there's limited information about how this group is reacting to the shots, as well as to the loosening of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention restrictions," said the newspaper.

Meanwhile, neither the federal government nor vaccine makers Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have stepped up to do a comprehensive study about whether the vaccines protect people with immune issues, according to the report.