Brill L, Rechtman A, Zveik O, et al. - Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were given ocrelizumab showed equivalent SARS-CoV-2–specific T-cell responses to healthy controls, but had a reduced antibody response after vaccination. Given the probable involvement of T cells in disease protection, this is comforting and will aid clinicians in developing consensus guidelines for MS treatment in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Of 112 candidates, 49 (43.8%) had MS and were treated with ocrelizumab (33 [67.3%] female; mean [SD] age, 47.9 [13.3] years), 23 (20.5%) had MS but were not treated with disease-modifying therapies (18 [78.3%] female; mean [SD] age, 49 [13.4] years), and 40 (35.7%) were healthy controls (25 [62.5%] female; mean [SD] age, 45.3 [16] years).

• Following vaccination, 26 of 29 patients (89.7%) treated with ocrelizumab and 15 of 15 healthy controls (100%) exhibited identical amounts of SARS-CoV-2–specific T cells (mean [SD], 15.4 [7.6] and 14.3 [6.3] spot-forming cells, respectively).

• When compared with healthy controls and untreated patients, mean antibody titers and positive serology rate were lower in the ocrelizumab group, with a positive correlation to time following ocrelizumab infusion.