Many states have entered the stage of COVID-19 vaccine distribution that prioritizes people with certain health conditions that put them at high risk for extreme complications from COVID-19. This has led many health care professionals serving patients with asthma to ask, “is asthma a risk factor for severe disease?”
The American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology’s (AAAAI) COVID-19 Response Task Force wrote, “At this point, the answer is no.” Its members explain, “We all continue to get questions about asthma and COVID-19 from our patients. Earlier in the pandemic, they were concerned about getting sick and now they are concerned about which vaccine tier they should be in. By early October of this past year, there have been over 110 publications including 4 meta-analyses that clearly demonstrate that asthma is not a risk. Similar findings are noted in the 10 or so papers published since then, and at least a few have demonstrated protection for those with asthma.” (Click here for additional references.)
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) also affirms this with its statement: “Asthma is not a higher risk condition for COVID-19. Check your state’s COVID-19 vaccine plan to see when you might be eligible to receive the vaccine.”
Both AAAAI and AAFA will continue to update their websites as more information about vaccines that may be of interest to people with asthma and allergies. Meanwhile, the message from both organizations is clear: everyone should get a COVID-19 vaccine, but there is no reason that people with asthma should be prioritized based on current research.