DKMS has joined the Blood Cancer Alliance’s (BCA) appeal to the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for a review the policy.
Following warnings from UK researchers suggesting that the Pfizer COVID vaccines are less effective for cancer patients after a single dose, DKMS has joined the Blood Cancer Alliance’s (BCA) appeal to the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for a review the policy.
Currently, UK patients have a 12-week gap between their first and second dose of the vaccine. A study recruited 205 people, including 151 with either solid tumour or blood cancers, suggests cancer patients are much less protected against Covid-19 than other people.
DKMS has now joined other charities asking the JCVI whether the 12-week time frame is still appropriate for clinically extremely vulnerable blood cancer patients. The BCA has also written to the Secretary of State Matt Hancock to ask that he does everything in his power to extend shielding guidance.
Only by fully understanding vaccine efficacy among the immunocompromised will we see blood cancer patients feel confident of emerging from the shielding measures that have severely restricted their lives for over a year now.
The BCA acknowledges that this is a small study, but these findings are extremely concerning to the blood cancer community. Subsequently, the BCA asked Matt Hancock whether additional investment can be made available for more exhaustive studies of vaccine efficacy among blood cancer patients, both in terms of first and second doses.
Please see our letter to the JCVI here.
DKMS recommends that you keep in contact with your consultant/healthcare team regarding your health. Additionally, we strongly urge patients to follow government guidance on shielding and protecting clinically vulnerable people from COVID-19 until the risks associated with the pandemic have passed.