Many people are asking: I have rheumatoid arthritis. Will I be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available?
As we answer this (Dec/2020), we do not fully know the answer yet. It is a complicated question as it relates to both the safety of the vaccine, and how well it works. Safety is really the key part, and because the technology being used to develop the COVID19 vaccines is mostly new, we do not have the experience to know for sure if it’s safe. That said, there is currently no reason to think it won’t be safe, as they are not LIVE vaccines, which are contraindicated for many individuals with arthritis because of the medications they are on. As we get closer to having vaccine available, we expect more data to also come out which will help inform this decision. Stay tuned as we learn more, and check with your rheumatologist for your particular situation.
Click here to visit our COVID-19 vaccine information page, which we will keep up to date, or our YouTube site with COVID-19 information videos.
Posted: December 3, 2020
Tagged: arthritis, biologics, covid-19, methotrexate, rheumatoid