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Originally Posted by b1crunch
This is all anecdotal but thought I'd share. I had a kidney transplant and go for regular testing and appointments with my specialist. It also means I'm immunocompromised.
Talked to my nephrologist recently and she gave me some numbers regarding kidney transplant patients in Alberta.
Of all of the kidney transplant patients in Alberta that got covid, approximately 40% of them ended up in hospital due to Covid. Another 40% of those then ended up in the ICU. Of those that ended up in the ICU approximately 50% died from Covid.
She further said that they've done testing on those that have been hospitalized and it appears that about 40% of transplant patients show zero protection from the vaccines, even though we've all been given 4 shots. Its due to us being immunocompromised and our immune systems not having proper reactions to the vaccines. As such, she can't tell me with any certainty if I'm protected. I could have 0% protection, 20% or 90%. They have no idea, but tend to guess that we are all much lower than the general population. There's a blood test they can do to check, but she said the system is overwhelmed and they are only doing the tests on those that are hospitalized.
As a result she told me that while restriction have been mostly lifted I should continue to live as though restriction are still in place. I've been advised to avoid public gatherings and always wear a mask. All this is only for kidney transplant patients, as thats the program she oversees, but I'd assume other immunocompromised people are facing similar realities.
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My father has a kidney condition and see's a nephrologist 2-3 times a year but hasn't had a kidney transplant thankgod. His nephrologist has kept me in the loop with all things Covid and has provided a lot more information as well. He spoke as someone dealing with patients on the dialysis front, chronic condition front and transplant front.
At the start of Covid, a huge portion of dialysis patients who got Covid were hospitalized and passed away but they have gotten a lot better at treatment since than.
He has been very encouraging of vaccination from a protection perspective but has also eluded to significant effects from vaccine side effects from the vaccination from a higher than expected amount of people. When asked if my father was vaxxed, I said yes, and he asked if any side effects, I said no. He indicated that was great but also not as rare as we may be lead to believe? He has worked the Covid wards as an internal medicine specialist for a while but it was interesting to see regardless.
Do take comfort in knowing that the vaccines can provide a lot of protection in a lot of cases and that there is a whole host of people and therapeutics working immune compromised people as well as they are important. Doctors have gotten a lot better at treatment and establishing protocols and the next generation of treatments and vaccines will be vastly improved.
Until than take care, get as healthy as you can and be careful but also live life.