I’m getting a pneumonia vaccine this weekend. I’ve already been vaxxed and double-boostered for Covid-19.
My question: I know that the main killer for Covid is pneumonia. If I were to get Covid, despite all my boostering, does the pneumonia vaccine help fight off Covid-caused pneumonia?
Do you mean Pneumococcal vaccine?
Stranger
Quite possibly, according to this:
Note that pneumonia vaccination usually includes two injections given a year apart. The first is typically the PCV13, which apparently gives some level of protection against COVID. The second, PPSV23, does not:
“Kaiser Permanente members who received the PCV13 vaccine appeared to be diagnosed with COVID-19 less often, and when they were, they seemed to have less severe outcomes, overall,” said the senior author, Sara Y. Tartof, PhD, MPH, a scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. “One of the most interesting aspects of our findings was that the patients who received PCV13 received some protection against COVID-19, while those who received PPSV23, another pneumococcal vaccine, did not.”
This isn’t quite what you asked, as the study shows protection against COVID and the more severe outcomes, but since those severe outcomes often include pneumonia, it’s still relevant.
You can read the study, itself here.
Thanks, nelliebly. That’s interesting.
I’m getting the vaccine that my PCP prescribed: Prevnar 20.
IANAD, but I’m pretty sure Prevnar 20 contains PCV13. Happy vaxxing!