One of the most common questions that I have received from the MStranslate community lately is whether there is any new information about the COVID vaccines for people living with multiple sclerosis.

Last week, we published an article that highlighted some ‘fake news’ that we had found online on this topic (available here).  Within this article, we posted the results of a small study that had investigated the response generated to the Pfizer vaccine by small groups of people living with multiple sclerosis on different treatments.

We are now in the position to provide another small update on the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people living with multiple sclerosis.  These results come from a small group of patients at the MS Clinic from the Barts Health NHS Trust in London, UK.  In this cohort, 29 out of 33 people received the AstraZeneca vaccine and the remaining 4 received the Pfizer vaccine.

The findings were published in the journal, Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, and the abstract can be accessed here.

Essentially, the participants were asked to complete a survey after their first dose of the vaccine to report any symptoms or side-effects that they experienced.  In summary, they reported that:

  • 31 out of 33 people reported some sort of symptom after receiving their vaccination
  • The post-vaccine symptoms reported were very similar to those observed in the general population
  • These symptoms included a sore arm, flu-like symptoms, headache and fatigue
  • There were no reports from this group of any severe side-effects

Obviously, this is only a small study, but it is one of the first to report any side-effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine in a group of people living with multiple sclerosis.  This is particularly important, as this vaccine in particular has generated widespread media attention in relation to potential safety risks associated with the development of blood clots (although this has been very rare in the general population).

Based on these findings, the authors conclude that “our preliminary experience suggests SARS-CoV2 vaccination is a relatively safe intervention that should be encouraged to protect pwMS and to bring the pandemic under control”.  It is important to note that, at this stage, these are just short-term symptoms and we are yet to see any data relating to long-term side effects that may occur.

We will continue to provide updates as more data is published on this topic, which we understand is of huge interest and importance to our community.

Additional MStranslate COVID-19 Resources:

Multiple Sclerosis and the COVID-19 Vaccine

Facebook Live: COVID-19 & Multiple Sclerosis

2 Responses

  1. Amanda

    My husband is due to start Mayzent. Should he have the Covid vaccine before he starts or after?

    Reply
    • MStranslate

      Hi Amanda, thanks for the question. This is certainly a consideration and one that you should discuss with your husband’s neurologist and/or healthcare professional. Unfortunately, as I’m not a clinician (I’m an MS researcher by background), I cannot provide any direct medical information. I would also recommend that you have a look at the guidelines that have been posted by many MS organisations around the world, which will give some general advice on this topic. Specifically, I know that the US MS Society has some advice regarding the timing of treatments and getting the vaccine. You can find the links to all of that information here: https://mstranslate.com.au/multiple-sclerosis-covid-19-vaccine/. Regards, Brett.

      Reply

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