TY - JOUR T1 - COVID-19 Vaccination and Obesity: Optimism and Challenges. AU - Townsend,Matthew J, AU - Kyle,Theodore K, AU - Stanford,Fatima Cody, PY - 2021/01/03/received PY - 2021/01/24/accepted PY - 2021/1/29/pubmed PY - 2021/3/31/medline PY - 2021/1/28/entrez SP - 634 EP - 635 JF - Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) JO - Obesity (Silver Spring) VL - 29 IS - 4 N2 - Researchers have speculated that vaccines to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be less effective for individuals with obesity, a major risk factor for mortality and morbidity from COVID-19. Initial results from the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trials, though limited by inadequate power to compare subgroups and incomplete stratification of high-risk groups, appear to have similar efficacy among individuals with and without obesity. Careful follow-up in placebo-controlled studies is required to generate data on long-term vaccine immunogenicity, particularly in high-risk groups. Subsequent analyses should stratify safety and efficacy results by each class of obesity. Speculation about variable effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in obesity likely increases vaccine hesitancy among individuals with obesity, who face not only a higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 but also weight stigma, which reduces health care engagement at baseline. Clinical and public health messaging must be data driven, transparent, and sensitive to these biological and sociological vulnerabilities. SN - 1930-739X UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/33506642/COVID_19_Vaccination_and_Obesity:_Optimism_and_Challenges_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -