French doctors unsure of Covid-19 vaccine effectiveness ⁰

Health professionals in France are concerned about the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines on their patients whose immune systems are weakened, for instance by chemotherapy since clinical trials for the vaccines did not focus on immunocompromised patients.

Like many people with immune systems weakened by disease or chemotherapy, Delphine welcomes the idea of a new Covid-19 vaccine.

Since March of last year, Delphine and her seven-year-old daughter have mostly kept to themselves, avoiding social occasions with friends and loved ones. She’s now eager to regain some measure of normalcy. “The vaccine brings hope, to protect us and protect those who are close to us,” Delphine explains.

But health professionals worry about the effectiveness of the vaccines on immunocompromised people. Specialists estimate that vaccines are only about 30% effective for cancer patients.

While the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have so far proven over 90% effective in the general population, immunocompromised patients have been overlooked in clinical trials.

Source: France 24