The MS Wire

News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis

Category: COVID-19

COVID-19 shouldn’t be forgotten

COVID-19 vaccine vials

It’s been steamy 100 degrees (38c) in the Washington, DC area the past four days and most people are probably thinking about cooling, not COVID-19. But the SARS-CoV-2 virus appears to be on the upswing again and people with multiple sclerosis (MS) shouldn’t ignore it. The US Centers for Disease Control reports emergency room visits for treatment of virus symptoms were rising an average of about 23% a week at…Continue Reading

It’s vaccine time for me, times three

Three vaccines in syringes

My wife and I got the latest COVID-19 vaccine the other day, the first of three vaccines we’ll be getting this fall. The others are the seasonal flu vaccine and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. This was my sixth COVID-19 vaccination, and I’ve received a flu shot every year for decades. They’ve never been a problem for my multiple sclerosis. The RSV vaccine has only recently been approved by…Continue Reading

A robust report on my COVID-19 antibodies

antibodies

It’s been almost two and a half years since my first COVID-19 vaccine — eight months since my most recent booster — and my COVID-19 antibodies seem to still be doing their thing. I know this because, after having nine test tubes of blood drawn, the lab results are back and I’m looking good — a robust antibody response. The lab work was part of the COVER-MS study, run by…Continue Reading

MS and COVID-19 vaccines: Stick to the facts

social media misinformation

Since the early days of the COVID-19 vaccination program, disinformation about whether the vaccines can induce multiple sclerosis has swirled around social media. Recently, there’s been a resurgence of this type of post, sparked by a report published on the World Health Organization (WHO) website titled “Covid-19 vaccination can induce multiple sclerosis via cross-reactive CD4+ T cells recognizing SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and myelin peptides.” One post on Twitter, sharing that…Continue Reading

Is another COVID-19 booster right for me?

Third covid vaccine

If you have multiple sclerosis may want to roll up your sleeves fr another COVID-19 booster. I’m thinking about whether to join you. Last month, an advisory committee of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supported a recommendation that people 65 and older and those with compromised immune systems get another booster, if at least four months have passed since their last one for those 65 and…Continue Reading

COVID-19 Catches Up With Me

covid-19 test

It was bound to happen. Even though it’s been more than three years since COVID-19 reared it head in Wuhan, China, and even though I’ve had five of the COVID-19 vaccine shots recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — two primary series doses and three boosters — plus the seasonal flu shot, COVID-19 finally found me. On a recent Thursday night, my throat began to feel…Continue Reading

What’s New About COVID-19 Vaccines and MS?

covid-19 injection

A little over a year ago, I wrote about whether people with multiple sclerosis (MS) should get a COVID-19 vaccine. I was anxious to be vaccinated as soon as I could, but I was also concerned about how the vaccines would affect someone with MS. Would the side effects be worse for MS patients than for healthy people? Would the disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) used to treat MS affect the ability…Continue Reading

I’ve Had My COVID-19 Booster

covid-19 booster

I’m hurtin’ a little today. I have mild muscle aches, a bit more fatigue than usual, and dragging legs. It could just be a bad MS day, or it could be the result of my COVID-19 booster shot a couple days ago.  I received a third shot of the Moderna vaccine, which actually is a half-dose compared with the previous two. My wife and I are both older than 65,…Continue Reading

I Had a COVID-19 Antibody Test. What Does it Show?

COVID-19 antibody test

Is 2,500 my magical COVID-19 number? At my annual MS checkup a week ago, my neurologist included a SARS-CoV-2 antibody test. Antibodies are proteins in the blood that protect the body from being attacked by viruses, bacteria, and the like. In this case, the blood test was searching for antibodies that would protect me against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the virus that causes COVID-19. With two shots of the Moderna vaccine…Continue Reading

MS Treatments React Differently to a COVID-19 vaccine

covid-19 vaccine

Are you being treated with a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) and wondering how it might impact the efficacy of an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine? If so, a recent study may provide some clarity. The study, published in Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders, looked at 125 MS patients either being treated with Mavenclad (cladribine), Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), or Gilenya (fingolimod), or no DMT. A control group of healthy people also was included. Study participants…Continue Reading