COVID-19 booster vaccination and dialysis patients.

If you do not work in renal medicine you may not have realized that dialysis patients given the COVID-19 vaccine, demonstrate significantly lower antibody response compared to healthy controls. National strategies for Booster COVID-19 vaccines range from targeting vulnerable patient populations, to broadening out to healthcare workers or as in Israel, targeting the whole adult population. We welcome the Commentary piece by Dr Yen and colleagues from Chang Gung University in Taiwan who highlight the importance of dialysis patients receiving the booster vaccine. They summarize our current knowledge and draw our attention to predictive factors in these patients for sub-optimal and optimal antibody response, which includes lower serum albumin and higher intravenous iron dose as negative predictors whereas younger age, serum albumin >3.5 g/dl, lower intravenous iron dose and body mass index <30 kg/m2 were positive predictors for an optimal antibody response.

Living with COVID—importance of vaccinations while recognizing rare side-effects

The Journal has been at the forefront in publishing in depth articles on the effects of the pandemic on global health and its effects on individual systems within the body. The development of effective vaccines has allowed society to transition from significant social isolation towards the new norm of living with the virus.

The alliance of Industry, academia and governments agencies are to be congratulated for the generation of effective COVID-19 vaccines. While side-effects are uncommon—it is important to highlight them particularly if they are associated with particular groups of individuals who maybe more susceptible.

The QJM has played an important role in providing a rapid-access platform for publication in the current and recent issues of the Journal of the COVID vaccine being associated rarely with pathologies ranging from thrombosis and thrombocytopenia, to cardiac complications to myositis, and systemic vasculitis. We continue to welcome reports of these vaccines being associated with the development of diseases.

Conflict of interest. None declared.