Statement for ALD Patients Considering the COVID-19 Vaccine

The ALD Connect Board of Directors released the following statement on December 19, 2020:

COVID-19 is a harmful, infectious disease that is potentially debilitating and/or life-threatening to all people, whether you carry the ALD mutation or not. The pandemic has had a devastating impact on people and their livelihoods across the globe.

There are now several vaccines against COVID-19 that show significant protection against infection. These vaccines have been tested in hundreds of thousands of individuals. The percentage of people who have serious side-effects is very, very low.

At this time, all of the available data supports that the vaccines are safe and effective, including for people with ALD/AMN. Although we cannot give you specific medical advice, we would strongly encourage ALD/AMN patients, and their families and loved ones, to follow the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) for getting vaccinated. If you have specific questions or concerns regarding the vaccine, PLEASE reach out to your personal physician.