Update on COVID-19 Vaccine13 May 2021 All patients with RA are encouraged to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This includes people taking Disease Modifying Anti Rhematic Drugs such as methotrexate, sulfasalazine, leflunomide and hydroxychloroquine and/or advanced therapies such as biologics, biosimilars and JAK inhibitors. The only potential exception is for those on rituximab for which it is recommended to have a consultation with your treating rheumatologist before you have your COVID19 vaccination. See here for further information for rituximab patients. The response to the vaccine for immunocompromised persons may be less than that of the general populations, however studies to date show that there is sufficient response to offer good protection against coronavirus. These studies are ongoing, and we will publish information as we have it to hand. Links to other useful information regarding the vaccines can be found here: About the COVID-19 Vaccine | NHS Primary Card Guidance on COVID-19 Vaccine | NHS 02 March 2021 We are receiving many calls and enquiries about the vaccine and how that may impact people with RA or JIA. All patients with RA are encouraged to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This includes people taking Disease Modifying Anti Rhematic Drugs such as methotrexate, sulfasalazine, leflunomide and hydroxychloroquine and/or advanced therapies such as biologics, biosimilars and JAK inhibitors. The only potential exception is for those on rituximab for which it is recommended to have a consultation with your treating rheumatologist before you have your COVID19 vaccination. See here for further information for rituximab patients. There is no preferred vaccine for people with inflammatory arthritis. The Pfizer/BioNTech, the Moderna and Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccines are all considered safe for immunocompromised persons. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine contains a live adenovirus vector that cannot reproduce in humans, so cannot cause infection and is therefore considered safe for people who are immunosuppressed. The response to the vaccine for immunocompromised persons may be less than that of the general populations, however studies to date show that there is sufficient response to offer good protection against coronavirus. These studies are ongoing, and we will publish information as we have it to hand. The guidance on which groups of people will be eligible to receive the vaccine and in what priority was updated on 12/02/21 to more clearly identify people with RA. All people living with RA who have not already been offered the vaccine as part of an earlier priority group will be offered one in Priority Group 6. You can see this in the NHS vaccine Green Book, which defines who is eligible for vaccination, on page 11, Table 3 here. It can also be found on the government website here. For more information, please see our FAQs.