Coronavirus and COVID-19: What People With Cancer Need to Know
Safety in people with cancer. Experts agree that the COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for people with cancer, cancer survivors, and those currently on cancer treatment, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy. The best available evidence suggests the odds of dying or experiencing severe complications from COVID-19 are roughly 2 times higher if you are someone with cancer than a person without cancer. The only people who should not be offered the vaccine are those who may have a harmful reaction, such as anaphylaxis, to a specific vaccine component. Talk with your doctor or your cancer care team about whether a COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for you, based on your own medical history. Read an FAQ about the COVID-19 vaccine and how it relates to people with cancer. (This link takes you to a different ASCO website.)
Even though the original COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials did not specifically include people with cancer, including the pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine and the flu vaccine. Some vaccines are OK to receive during cancer treatment, when the immune system is weak, but some vaccines, such as live virus vaccines, should not be given during cancer treatment. The COVID-19 vaccines are not live virus vaccines and may be given during or after cancer treatment.
After you are fully vaccinated. Once you have been fully vaccinated, and if you live in an area with very low rates of COVID-19, the CDC recommends that you can resume activities that you did before the pandemic, without wearing a mask or physically distancing. However, this does not apply in areas where the spread of very infectious variants, such as Delta or Omicron, is substantial or high. In those areas, wearing a mask indoors in public is recommended. (You can view the level of community spread in your county on the CDC website.) In most cases, individuals are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 until 2 weeks after their final dose of the vaccine. However, in some areas, you may still be required to wear a mask and keep physically distant, such as in hospitals or clinics, public transportation, and others. Also, some local, state, or federal laws may still require these precautions. Be sure to see what precautions will still be required in your area by checking with your local government.
No vaccine is 100% effective, and sometimes, vaccinated people can still get COVID-19, which is called a “breakthrough infection.” The risk of this is very low, and vaccinated people are unlikely to become very ill. If you have cancer or are receiving cancer treatment or have other medical conditions that put you at high risk for illness from COVID-19, you should consider continuing to wear a mask when you are indoors in public settings. Check with your doctor for specific guidance if you feel you are at higher risk for complications from COVID-19.
The virus will remain in the community until the majority of residents are vaccinated, so these precautions are critical to preventing continued spread of the virus, especially with more contagious variants circulating.
