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[immunotoday]

Covid vaccines protect people who are HIV-positive.

Studies have shown that the Sars-Cov-2 vaccines protect healthy people from severe Covid-19 pretty well. It hasn't been clear until now if this is also true for people with acquired immunodeficiency. The research team led by Ingo Schmitz and Dr. Anja Potthoff from the Walk in Ruhr (WIR) Zentrum für Sexuelle Gesundheit und Medizin at the university hospital of Ruhr University Bochum did a study with 71 HIV-positive people who were getting antiretroviral therapy. Also, 20 people who did not have HIV but were used as controls took part in the study. After each person got the Biontech/Pfizer mRNA vaccine for the first, second, and third time, their immune response was looked at.

Ingo Schmitz says, "We found that the vaccination causes this group to make antibodies, but not as well as healthy people do." "Because this difference got smaller after the third shot, we think that booster shots should be recommended."

Researchers were surprised to find that T-helper cells had the same effect on the immune system in HIV-positive and HIV-negative people. "This is true even though it is these T-helper cells that are attacked by the HIV virus and have fewer of them in people with HIV," says Ingo Schmitz. Since T-helper cells live longer than antibodies, this could mean that the vaccine protects people with HIV for about as long as it protects people without HIV.