Vaccines, antibodies, antivirals: How some immunocompromised can cut Covid risk

Vaccines, antibodies, antivirals: How some immunocompromised can cut Covid risk Compared to last year, people with weakened immune systems now have several tools to protect themselves against Covid-19. NBC News

... experts say that while immunocompromised individuals do remain at a greater risk of Covid, the landscape looks much different than it did even a year ago, with a number of tools available to provide the extra protection they need. 

Now, options including additional vaccine doses and boosters, preventative monoclonal antibodies injections and antiviral drugs may help some immunocompromised people take steps toward resuming a more normal life. 

The tools immunocompromised patients now have at their disposal, while not as effective as when given to those with healthy immune systems, can still allow them to feel more comfortable, said Dr. Bob Wachter, chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. ...

Dr. Alfred Kim, a rheumatologist at Washington University in St. Louis, acknowledged the progress that’s been made. 

“Certainly, we’re in much better shape” than last year, Kim said. Still, “when you consider all the unmasking,” high quality masks like N95s remain an important tool for people with weakened immune systems. ...

An estimated 2.7 percent of adults in the U.S. are immunocompromised. This includes organ transplant recipients, certain cancer patients and people with HIV or other conditions that impair the immune system.