The University of Arizona Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program

No boosters yet for general population. CDC recommends patients who received the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at least 8 months ago receive a booster PENDING FDA evaluation and recommendations. Data on boosters for the J&J vaccine still pending.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 CDC provides credible COVID-19 health information to the U.S.

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation echoes CDC recommendations regarding additional COVID-19 vaccinations in IBD patients on anti-TNFs and thiopurines.

www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org

Booster shots are recommended for patients on immune suppression! Patients should receive Pfizer or Moderna vaccine as booster at least 4 wks after 2nd dose of vaccine. Still need to mask, avoid crowds. Specifically, booster shots have been suggested for patients on anti-TNFs (infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab, certolizumab), azathioprine/6-MP/methotrexate, and prednisone >19 mg/d. No recommendations yet for other biologics/immune suppressing agents in IBD.

Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC Find interim clinical considerations for the use of COVID-19 vaccines for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States.

For added convenience, we have created a one page COVID vaccine and IBD information sheet for our Crohn's and colitis patients.

To combat misinformation in medicine and COVID, a leading communications expert suggests that we need to better understand the values of our patients and direct them to more objective resources to obtain their information.

COVID-19 Conspiracies and Beyond: How Physicians Can Deal With Patients’ Misinformation Communication science expert Brian Southwell, PhD, recently launched a training workshop at the Duke University School of Medicine to address a major clinical problem: What should physicians do when patients are misinformed about their health? It’s one of only a few such programs in the nation. So...

A nice articles summing up the two currently available COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna:

A side-by-side comparison of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines A look at how the two authorized vaccines stack up against one another on a host of factors, including efficacy and safety.

There are no contraindications with IBD or IBD therapies for the Pfizer COVID vaccine. If you have the chance to get it early, take full advantage.

A nice gesture by retailer Argos in the UK. Hopefully others there and in the US will follow.

IBD patients in the UK can use retailer's staff bathrooms UK retailer Argos will allow patients with inflammatory bowel disease to use their staff bathrooms if they have a "Can't Wait" card indicating their diagnosis. The retailer partnered with Crohn's and Colitis UK to offer the service.

Just another reminder how common IBD is in the population.....

Actor discusses his experience with Crohn's disease English actor Jeff Hordley had surgery for Crohn's disease and now manages with diet and medication, he said. Hordley says no one should be ashamed to talk about Crohn's.

An uplifting story about a minor league baseball player with Crohn's.....

Baseball player with Crohn's finds success on the field Brennan Metzger was diagnosed with Crohn's nearly five years ago and has undergone six surgeries. The 29-year-old left fielder for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, an independent professional baseball team, receives medication infusions every eight weeks to treat his disease and has become one of the te...

Uplifting story about overcoming Crohn's disease and reaching your goals.

Weightlifter with Crohn's competing for national championship Seth Parsons of Michigan was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when he was 14 years old but after treatment and training is now competing for a national weightlifting championship. Seth, who spends at least 12 hours a week at the gym, has been training seriously since 2014.

Uplifting story about a young Crohn's disease patient....

12-year-old leads walk for IBD awareness Twelve-year-old Jay Burchfield of Alabama, who was diagnosed with Crohn's disease last year, will lead the Gulf Coast Take Steps Walk to benefit the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. "I refuse to let Crohn's disease define me," Jay said.