LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The National Multiple Sclerosis Society wrote that vaccination against COVID-19 is critical for public safety and, especially, the safety of the most vulnerable among us. The National MS Society and neurologists recommend MS patients receive the COVID-19 vaccine.


What You Need To Know

  • National MS Society says vaccination against COVID-19 is critical for public safety and the safety of those who are most vulnerable

  • Guidelines from the National MS Society encourage patients to consider getting vaccinated two to four weeks before or three months after they receive a dose of their cell medical treatments

  • Patients like Yvette Cabrera-Rojas followed that guidance

  • MS is one of the most common neurological conditions in the United States

“We have no evidence that the vaccine will trigger a relapse, and we have no evidence at this time that this vaccine is in any way unsafe for those living with MS,” said Dr. Anna Bite, a neurologist with the Norton Neuroscience Institute.

Patients like Yvette Cabrera-Rojas followed guidance from their doctors and the MS Society on the proper window to receive their COVID-19 vaccine in relation to their MS treatments.

“It’s unlikely that the COVID-19 vaccine would decrease the effectiveness of their disease modifying therapy or their medication. But I do worry that their mediation might decrease the efficacy of the vaccine just in the case of certain medications,” said Bite.

The guidelines from the National MS Society encourage patients to consider getting vaccinated two to four weeks before or three months after they receive a dose of their cell medical treatments. Cabrera-Rojas got fully vaccinated three weeks before her treatment. 

“It’s not just about oneself. You have to think about the possibility that you can carry it and gave it to someone else,” said Cabrera-Rojas. “I don’t think I can personally live with that if I gave it to someone else.”

Cabrera-Rojas is currently the director of the resource center for the Norton Neuroscience Institute. She wanted to help spread the word for fellow people who are living with MS.

“The right perspective of living with MS. Understanding that you are going to encounter daily stressors. It’s how you respond to them,” said Cabrera-Rojas. "I try not to live in the 'what ifs,' I live in the right now, in this moment,” she said.

MS is one of the most common neurological conditions in the United States. It affects more than 2 million people in the world and more than 5,000 individuals in Kentucky and southeast Indiana according to the National MS Society.