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Is the Pfizer COVID vaccine less effective in obese people?

It's too early to know how effective the COVID vaccine is in obese patients, but past studies show overweight people face a similar problem with other vaccines.

ALABAMA, USA — Alabama has the nation's seventh highest rate of adult obesity, which is its own epidemic, but now a new study shows Pfizer's COVID vaccine may not be as effective for people who are obese.

The Pfizer vaccine is proven to be 95% effective, but new data shows that it could only produce about half the amount of antibodies in patients who are obese.

Dr. Karen Landers with the Alabama Department of Public Health says there’s much more research that needs to be done.

"I think rather than saying well this might not be as effective, we need to go back to the science, look at other studies, look at other data,” said Dr. Landers.

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The study, which has not been peer reviewed, looked at the effect of the vaccine on 248 health care workers.

"I don’t think this single study sways anyone’s really strong feelings that vaccine is the way to go right now in terms of controlling this pandemic,” said Dr. Landers.

It's too early to know exactly how effective the COVID-19 vaccine is in obese patients, but past studies show overweight people face a similar problem with other vaccines like the flu shot.

"Keep in mind that even though persons are being vaccinated now, we still do not know the exact level of neutralizing antibody that is necessary in terms of a robust vaccine response,” said Dr. Landers.

Your weight does impact your risk for the virus. Those with obesity have a higher chance of ending up in the hospital and dying from COVID-19.

"Many persons with obesity also have cardiovascular disease and they have diabetes,” said Dr. Landers. “Cardiovascular disease and diabetes both have been highly associated with deaths in the state of Alabama."

RELATED: ADPH: "Food insecurity" or "food desert" contributes to childhood obesity as it rises during pandemic

More than a third of adults in Alabama are obese, so it's important to ensure the COVID vaccine is effective for this group. This new data could mean people with obesity need another booster shot.

"Certainly, there could be situations where a person might need boosters. I mean, we know that in terms of our discussion about variants. Persons might need boosters, but again we don't have data to support that,” said Dr. Landers. “I think that this is a situation as with other immunosuppressive conditions, keep in mind that persons with even diabetes have a less robust immune response overall for many conditions."

If you are eligible to get the COVID vaccine, health experts recommend getting whichever vaccine is available to you whether you are obese or not.

For the most up-to-date COVID vaccine information, check out this WZDX story: Alabama COVID vaccine updates

WATCH: Alabama is expected to receive about 40,000 doses of the J&J vaccine

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