Should people having chemotherapy have COVID vaccination?
Yes, very much so. It is important to know that all people with cancer who receive chemotherapy are considered ‘Clinically Extremely Vulnerable’ (CEV) and they all benefit from COVID-19 vaccination.
The best time to have the COVID-19 vaccine is before you start chemotherapy, when your immune system (the part of your body that fights infections) is working normally. Chemotherapy will decrease the effectiveness of the immune system, so your immune response to the vaccine might not be as good as if you didn’t receive chemotherapy.
If you have already started your course of chemotherapy, here’s what you need to do:
- Try to have the vaccine during the few days before your next chemotherapy cycle. This is the time when your immune system is working at its best.
- If you take your chemotherapy without a break, you can have the vaccine at any time.
- If you are receiving another type of treatment called immunotherapy, you can have the COVID-19 vaccine at any time during your treatment.
- You can also have the COVID-19 vaccine at any time during radiation therapy, as long as it isn’t accompanied by chemotherapy, when the above rules apply.
A third vaccine dose should be offered to you if you have received either of the first two doses while undergoing chemotherapy. The third dose will bring your immune response to COVID-19 in line with people who do not receive chemotherapy. If you received both doses before you started chemotherapy, then you are eligible for a booster third dose three months after the second dose.
You are eligible for a fourth dose (called a second booster) three months after the third dose, if you have received any of the first or second doses, or both, whilst on chemotherapy. Speak to your GP and your oncologist (cancer doctor) if you are unsure.
You can find more information on the COVID-19 vaccine and cancer patients here.
