As COVID-19 vaccines are being rolled out, an extremely vulnerable group is being overlooked: millions of cancer patients.
Doctors across the country sound the alarm that many state governments and the federal advisory committee tasked with prioritizing who gets vaccinated should move cancer patients to the top of the line, right after nursing home residents and of front-line health workers.
Right now, they are considered one lower priority than “essential workers” such as firefighters, public transportation employees, and possibly even supermarket workers.
However, cancer patients are being decimated by COVID-19.
New data of 360 U.S. hospitals show that cancer patients are at higher risk of catching COVID than the rest of the population.
Once infected they are almost twice as likely to need hospitalization.
Even worse, they are three times more likely to die than other hospitalized COVID patients, according to new findings in the journal JAMA Oncology.
New York pulmonologist Daniel Libby explains that cancer patients are likely to become infected frequently because they usually visit doctors ’offices.
In addition, their “defenses are low,” meaning their immune system is weaker.
This week, the COVID Lung Cancer Consortium – a group of oncologists – is asking federals to re-examine priorities and pay “specific attention to this vulnerable population.”
Governor Cuomo should do the same. Last week, Cuomo launched the “Working Group on Vaccine Equity,” which includes immigrant advocates, civil rights leaders, tenants’ associations, labor groups and churches, most of whom are political allies of the United States. governor. But no anti-cancer organization made the list.
“We are talking about who gets vaccinated, and let me be clear, there is no policy in the vaccination process, “Cuomo says. It’s hard to believe, Governor, given who’s on the task force and who’s missing.
In New York and most states, cancer patients are ignored. The American Society of Clinical Oncology and The American Cancer Society instat the federal advisory committee to make vaccination of cancer patients a top priority, but the committee’s recommendation, announced Dec. 20, prioritized essential workers and people aged 75 or over to be the following.
This means that in most states, which follow the committee’s recommendations, cancer patients will have to wait months longer.
Fred Hirsch, a renowned lung cancer specialist at Mount Sinai Medical Center, is
to investigate whether the weakened immune system of cancer patients will cause them to produce fewer antibodies when vaccinated. They may need more shots: three shots or even four, instead of two shots currently prescribed for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. More reasons to start them.
Meanwhile, in New York, politically connected unions representing traffic workers and supermarket employees are calling on state officials and pushing for them to be considered “essential workers.” (See the New York Times article of December 20, 2020).
But cancer doctors complain that they are in the dark about who to call or when to get vaccinated.
Ditto for doctors treating patients with other diseases.
A Westchester woman tells me she is worried about her husband. He is 71 years old, with type 1 diabetes and two heart stents, and travels to New York City on Metro North. Their doctors do not know when they will get the vaccines. She says, “I can’t believe 20-year-old supermarket workers have it before him.”
Both the federal immunization committee and Cuomo advocate prioritizing “essential” workers because it will involve vaccinating more minorities. Cuomo states that “black, Hispanic, Asian and low-income communities paid the highest price during COVID-19. “This is a politically appropriate exaggeration.
According to the data, COVI-19 has affected minorities a little more than other people. In New York State, excluding New York City, Hispanics make up 12% the population and 12% of deaths from COVID-19, while blacks account for 9% of the population and 15% of deaths.
Similarly, in New York City, black and Hispanic minorities have suffered more fatalities proportionality than whites, but only by a few percentage points. Asians experienced fewer deaths (7%) than 14% of the population.
The truth is that COVID-19 is an equal opportunity killer. He is sacrificing cancer patients, regardless of their skin color, and politicians are zipping him up.
Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D., is the chair of the committee to reduce deaths from infection. Read more of Betsy McCaughey’s reports – Here Now.
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