The medical consensus is clear: The benefits of vaccination far outweigh any potential risks, says pulmonologist Michael Sims, MD, clinical director of the COPD program at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. “The vaccine is quite protective, not just against contracting COVID-19 but against the complications of respiratory failure and death, and these become all that much more important for COPD patients,” says Dr. Sims. People with COPD, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, are considered to be at a higher risk for developing severe illness from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). So are individuals with other chronic lung diseases, such as moderate to severe asthma, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs), and interstitial lung disease or other conditions involving damaged or scarred lung tissue. The good news is that people with COPD do not appear to be at a higher risk for contracting COVID-19, according to the University of Maryland Health System. This risk assessment is based on existing research, including a study presented at the CHEST annual meeting in 2020 that found the prevalence of COPD was smaller than expected in a pooled analysis of more than 11,000 people. Unfortunately, the study also found an association between COPD and a higher risk of death in people who were hospitalized with COVID-19. If you have COPD and wonder about your COVID-19 risk, the impact of the disease on your medications, and potential side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, read on. RELATED: Coronavirus Alert: The Latest News, Data, and Expert Insights on the COVID-19 Pandemic
Are the COVID-19 Vaccines Safe?
Data indicates that all of the available COVID-19 vaccines are safe. “The risk of COVID-19 is far greater than the small risk of the vaccine,” Sims says. “If you look at the rate of serious or life-threatening reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine, it’s estimated to be about 1 in 100,000 patients, whereas the risk right now of dying from COVID-19 is many times higher than that.” He continues, “From the data that I’ve seen and from my own experience with my patients, they get the same side effects that those without COPD tend to get such as aches, fatigue, chills, headache, and low-grade fever.” While these are unpleasant, they’re not dangerous, he adds.
Of the Available Vaccines, Which Is Best for People With COPD?
While there are some differences among the approved vaccines — from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson — all have been shown to effectively eliminate the risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization and death, says Sims. “For that reason, it’s most important that a person get the vaccine that is available to them as soon as they can get it and not wait for one brand name over another,” he says. RELATED: What You Need to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines
Should I Premedicate With a Pain Reliever Before the Shot to Minimize Side Effects?
“Taking any sort of pain-relieving medication before getting the vaccine is not recommended,” says Sims. That’s because there is a theoretical concern that some anti-inflammatory pain relievers, such as ibuprofen or Tylenol, could blunt the immune response to the vaccine and decrease the shot’s effectiveness, he explains.
Is It Safe to Take a Pain Reliever After I’m Vaccinated?
If you develop symptoms after getting the vaccine, such as severe aches and pains, it’s okay to take a pain reliever at that time. “By that point, the vaccines have already generated a fairly strong immune response, and it is considered reasonably safe to take an anti-inflammatory,” Sims says. It’s not recommended to take a pain reliever if you don’t need it, says Sims.
Should I Stop or Delay Any of My COPD Medications Before or After Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine?
“In general, the answer would be no. There is no inhaler that would typically be used for COPD that’s thought to be of concern,” says Sims. He says that there is one medication that could potentially be an issue, but it is one that most people with COPD don’t take: chronic oral steroids or prednisone. “There is some theoretical concern that prednisone may suppress the immune response to the vaccine and therefore make it less effective,” says Sims. If a person with COPD is on chronic prednisone, it’s generally because they have relatively unstable disease, and they’ve proven that without the prednisone they may be at a high risk of developing destabilized lung disease, he explains. “The advice is to continue to take your prednisone, even knowing that it could potentially decrease the effectiveness of the vaccine, because that option is better than running the risk of having unstable COPD,” says Sims. Prednisone doesn’t increase the risk of getting a COVID-19 vaccine in any way, Sims says.
Can I Get COVID-19 Even After Being Vaccinated?
All of the available vaccines will protect you against developing COVID-19, but breakthrough infections will occur occasionally, as they do for all types of vaccines. “If you do contract the virus after getting the vaccine, however, you’re much less likely to get a severe infection,” Sims says. Results from an analysis of the Pfizer vaccine released on April 1 found that beginning a week after the second dose, the vaccine was 91.3 percent effective against the virus and 100 percent effective in preventing severe disease as defined by the CDC. You are considered to be fully immunized, with maximum protection, two weeks after receiving the second of the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines or two weeks after receiving the one-dose Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccine.
If I Think I Already Had COVID-19, Do I Still Need to Get Vaccinated?
People with COPD should absolutely get the COVID-19 vaccine even if they think they’ve already had the virus and developed some natural immunity, says Sims. That’s because experts aren’t sure how long you are protected from getting sick again after you’ve had COVID-19, according to the CDC. “We do recommend waiting 30 days to three months after you’ve had the infection before you get the vaccine. You should talk with your healthcare provider to decide the best time,” says Sims.
If I Smoke, Am I More Likely to Get COVID-19?
“There’s some data from other respiratory viruses that suggests cigarette smoking may increase a person’s risk of contracting infection, and so we hypothesize that smoking may increase your risk of contracting COVID-19, but to my knowledge that has not yet been shown conclusively,” says Sims. Keep in mind that smoking puts you at risk for developing COVID-19 complications. People who smoke or used to smoke are more likely to develop severe COVID-19 should they become infected with the novel coronavirus, according to the CDC. RELATED: The Best and Worst Ways to Quit Smoking
