{"id":27732,"date":"2021-04-20T09:30:20","date_gmt":"2021-04-20T13:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=27732"},"modified":"2021-04-12T18:04:00","modified_gmt":"2021-04-12T22:04:00","slug":"covid-vaccine-personal-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/covid-vaccine-personal-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019m immunocompromised and vaccinated for COVID-19: Here\u2019s why my life isn\u2019t changing"},"content":{"rendered":"

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: As experts learn more about the novel coronavirus, news and information changes. For the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit the <\/span><\/i>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The rain poured down as my husband and I nervously sat in the COVID-19 vaccine drive-thru. The nurses wore ponchos as they scurried around our vehicle to gather information and prep our arms. Five minutes later, the coveted \u201cjab\u201d officially happened. We cried happy tears on the way home. Because I am a cancer patient with a low white blood count (neutropenia in medical speak), getting the coronavirus vaccine felt like a literal lifesaver.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My husband asked, \u201cSo, can we go back to normal now?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely not,\u201d I replied.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed, nothing about our everyday life has changed. We\u2019re still wearing masks, keeping to our bubble, and washing our hands repeatedly. Here\u2019s why.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>What you need to know about the coronavirus vaccine<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Getting the COVID vaccine while immunocompromised<\/span><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s a known fact that cancer patients and immunocompromised individuals are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and dying from it. Studies from around the world found the fatality rate for infected cancer patients varies widely. Some studies find it falls <\/span>3% and 60%<\/span><\/a>. Others say it’s between <\/span>13% and 28%<\/span><\/a>. In either case, it’s greater than the <\/span>1.8%<\/span><\/a> fatality rate of all COVID-19 patients in the U.S. Not to mention, the first COVID-19 vaccine trials mostly left out cancer patients and those with compromised immune systems, leaving a question mark around their efficacy in our specific bodies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have enough data for cancer patients [in regards to efficacy],\u201d explains <\/span>Rohit Gosain<\/span><\/a>, MD, a hematologist and oncologist at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Pennsylvania, who conducted a <\/span>comprehensive review <\/span><\/a>of the virus\u2019s effects in cancer patients. \u201cBut we know when cancer patients get COVID, they tend to have more side effects, they are in the ICU longer and have higher mortality rates.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For these reasons, Dr. Gosain encourages his patients to get the vaccine, even though it may or may not offer the same protection as in the general population. (The National Comprehensive Cancer Network concurs that <\/span>cancer patients should be vaccinated, with only certain exceptions<\/span><\/a>.) But, he reminds them to keep practicing COVID safety rules. \u201cEven at 65%, 75%, or 80% efficacy, it\u2019s better to have some protection versus no protection at all,\u201d Dr. Gosain says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed, for those of us who are immunocompromised, the global pandemic has brought on an added layer of anxiety and fear the general population may not experience, thanks to the greater risks we face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why precautions are still necessary<\/span><\/h2>\n

But according to the experts, the vaccine is not a one-way ticket to normal-town\u2014at least not yet. While the vaccine absolutely offers hope from contracting serious illness or death (hooray!), we still need to do our part to protect ourselves from getting COVID at all. In fact, even for people without cancer, the <\/span>U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/span><\/a> (CDC) recommend that you continue to wear masks and practice social distancing when in public and visiting unvaccinated people even after you\u2019re fully vaccinated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn cancer patients, there\u2019s not going to be a vaccine response like a normal person, it\u2019s not as robust,\u201d says Ankit Madan, MD, an oncologist and hematologist at Sovah Cancer Center in Virginia, who also published <\/span>a paper on clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in cancer patients<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As experts explained to me, the lack of data on vaccine efficacy in immunocompromised individuals and cancer patients means we have to err on the side of caution. \u201cWhat I\u2019ve been advocating,\u201d says Dr. Gosain, \u201cis to please continue on with the guidelines of social distancing and mask wearing, even after vaccination.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New research may back up the \u201ccautious\u201d approach set forth by the oncologists and medical experts I spoke to. Researchers at King\u2019s College London will soon publish the very first data on vaccine efficacy in immunocompromised patients, based on a real-world study in the UK of 151 cancer patients and 54 healthy controls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In that study, <\/span>which is in pre-print and has yet to be peer-reviewed<\/span><\/a>, the researchers found that after the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, only 39% of cancer patients showed vaccine response versus 97% in healthy individuals. \u201cOur data clearly show that until [cancer] patients have had their second dose they are largely unprotected,\u201d explains <\/span>Sheeba Irshad,<\/span><\/a> Ph.D., a lead researcher on the study and senior clinical professor at King\u2019s College London. One more reason to keep social distancing and mask-wearing, especially in between doses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But don\u2019t panic yet! The researchers found that after the second dose, vaccine response increased dramatically, nearly matching the healthy volunteers. Which is good news all around.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCancer patients have a lot going on that can cause their immune system to be suppressed so it is not surprising that they might take a little longer to respond to the vaccine and need the added help from the booster,\u201d explains Irshad. For that reason, Irshad and her team recommend that cancer patients receive the second dose on time\u2014i.e., 21 to 28 days (depending on which vaccine was received) after the first dose.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My vaccination experience<\/span><\/h2>\n

After receiving the second dose of the vaccine, I experienced chills, body aches, and slight fever. Other <\/span>common side effects<\/span><\/a> that you might experience include:<\/span><\/p>\n