The world is buzzing these days with information about COVID-19 and the vaccines available.
The Morrison Cancer Center would like to present some of the latest information concerning the vaccine and cancer patients. While we hope the end of the pandemic is on the horizon, we want to provide accurate and scientific information as it pertains to our patients.
How many vaccines are available?
Right now, two have been approved for emergency use by the FDA (see www.marylanning.org/news-calendar/mlh-blog/the-covid-19-vaccine) for more information on the two approved vaccines).
Other vaccines still in the works are Astra Zeneca through the University of Oxford adenovirus vector vaccine and the Janssen adenovirus vector vaccine. Both would be two doses, 56 and 21 days apart.
Two other in-the-works vaccines, which are protein subunit based, are Novavax and Sanofi Pasteur-GSK (two doses, 21 days apart) and Sinovac-Chinese dead virus vaccine.
Should cancer patients get the vaccine?
Yes. There may be some cases that depend on the type of cancer and cancer treatment (bone marrow transplant/immunotherapies) being given. For more information, call Morrison Cancer Center and talk to our expert oncology providers before making a decision. Most of the time, the vaccine will be recommended. The approved vaccines so far do not contain live or dead virus so there is no risk of becoming infected by taking the vaccine. Most cancer patients’ immune systems are good enough to produce antibodies with the vaccine. Stimulating the existing immune system in the cancer patient with a vaccine is safer than gettin COVID-19.
What are the side effects of the vaccine?
Rarely, patients will can have a severe allergic reactions. The incidence of severe allergic reaction with the Pfizer vaccine is about 1 in 100,000. More common side effect involve pain, redness and swelling at the injection site in two to eight people out of 1,000. This resolves in four to five days.
Other common side effects are fever, headache, fatigue, nausea and chills in 54-78 of 100 people. These resolve after two to three days.
Should people who had COVID-19 get the vaccine?
Yes. A previous COVID-19 infection should not prevent anyone from getting the vaccine. Clinical trial data shows the vaccination is safe and antibodies are higher and more reliable with the vaccine as opposed to have the infection. Having the infection may produce variable antibody levels depending on the severity of the infection.
For most people, the vaccination is safe beginning 10 days after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms, provided there is no fever for at least 24 hours, according to the CDC. However, evidence suggests that re-infection is uncommon in the 90 days following initial infection. Therefore, patients may delay getting the vaccine for around 90 days if they wish.
How long will a person be immune after having COVID-19?
Understanding immune system's memory of COVID-19 infection is critical for answering this question. Data shows that immune memory can last up to eight months after infection.
When can I get the vaccine?
Distribution of the vaccine is based on a tiered system, which depends on your demographics.
Consult the South Heartland District Health Department for more information, and to find out where you fit into the system.
Types of vaccines being researched
- Genetic code (DNA/RNA) vaccines: The two approved vaccines in the USA and Europe fall within this group. These shots are made with new technology that injects a piece of genetic material encoding the spike protein of the coronavirus. After injection, the genetic material (mRNA) is taken up by the cells of the body and used to produce harmless spike protein, enough to prime the immune system to react if it later encounters the virus. Both vaccines must be kept frozen (the Pfizer vaccine at ultra-low temperatures). This complicates delivery to poor or rural areas. Other companies working toward mRNA vaccines include Germany’s CureVac.
- Protein vaccines: The Novavax candidate is made by growing harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in the lab and mixing it with an immune-boosting chemical. This vaccine has 15,000 people in a late-stage study in Britain and 4,000 people in South Africa. The newest and largest study, funded by the U.S. government, will recruit volunteers at more than 115 sites in the United State and Mexico. The study targets high-risk older adults along with volunteers form the black and Hispanic communities, which have been hit hard by the virus.
- Vector-carried (Trojan horse) vaccines: Johnson & Johnson, Sputnic V-Russian, and AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines use a harmless virus (a cold virus called adenovirus) to carry the spike gene into the body. In mid-December, Johnson & Johnson had enrolled 45,000 volunteers in a final-stage study in the US and six other countries. There are questions about how well the vaccine works in people over age 55 and how to interpret results from a small number of people given different sets of doses. A U.S. study of the AstraZeneca vaccine is still recruiting volunteers.
- Dead virus vaccines: Making vaccines by growing disease-causing virus and then killing it used to be the traditional approach. However, this is labor intensive, takes a long time and is costly. China has three such inactivated COVID-19 vaccines in final testing in several countries and has allowed emergency use in some people. An Indian company also is testing its own candidate in this category.