The Covid Vaccine and MS
Watch the recent webinar recording hosted by MSNZ and Ministry of Health’s on COVID vaccine and MS with Professor David Tscharke, a person with MS, an MS Researcher and Head of the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University. David has helped inform the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation and MS Research Australia on COVID-19 vaccines, as well as providing short courses on vaccines for the Australian Government. David’s talk covered several key questions the MS Community are raising, such as:
- What does the Pfizer vaccine do to your immune system?
- How the vaccine will work with MS medications available in NZ?
- Are there any key concerns around timings to be aware of for other vaccines or Disease Modifying Therapies (DMTs)?
- What is the research telling us?
Ray Finch from Spectrum Care was seconded to the Ministry of Health, to assist in designing the vaccine rollout plan specifically for the disability community. Ray details the focus that the Ministry took to ensure an inclusive lens was placed over the roll out plan, working to ensure the issues and concerns of the sector are considered as the vaccination programme is implemented. Ray discusses the key information those in Group 2 and 3 need to know around how to access the vaccine and Supported Decision Making Tools.