New COVID-19 vaccine study raises concerns for organ transplant recipients

CNN (KYMA, KECY) - A new study published on Monday in the journal "Transplantation" shows fully vaccinated organ transplant recipients are far more likely to contract COVID-19 than the vaccinated general public.

Researchers looked at more than 18,000 vaccinated organ transplant patients in the U.S., Croatia and France.

They discovered they were 82 times more likely to get breakthrough infections, and 485 times more likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID.

Scientists believe this is most likely because organ transplant recipients take medications that suppress their immune systems to prevent their bodies from rejecting the new organs.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about nine million people in the U.S. are considered immunocompromised.