Cooperative Living March/April 2021 - 27

MASKS PROTECT PEOPLE WITH
COMPROMISED IMMUNE SYSTEMS
People with cancer are at particular risk from the
coronavirus. Studies show they're more likely than others
to become infected and die from the virus, but may not be
protected by vaccines, says Dr. Gary Lyman, a professor at
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Cancer patients are vulnerable in multiple ways. People
with lung cancer are less able to fight off pneumonia, while
those undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment
have weakened immune systems. Leukemia and lymphoma
attack immune cells directly, which makes it harder for
patients to fight off the virus.
Doctors don't know much about how people with cancer
4.
will respond to vaccines because they were excluded from
randomized trials, Lyman says. Only a handful of study
participants were diagnosed with cancer after enrolling.
Among those people, COVID vaccines protected only 76%.
Although the vaccines appear safe, " prior studies with
other vaccines raise concerns that immunosuppressed
patients, including cancer patients, may not mount as great
an immune response as healthy patients, " Lyman says.
" For now, we should assume that patients with cancer may
not experience the 95% efficacy. "
Some people aren't able to be vaccinated. While most
people with allergies can receive the vaccines safely, the
CDC advises those who have had severe allergic reactions
to vaccine ingredients, including polyethylene glycol, to
avoid vaccination. The agency also warns people who have
had dangerous allergic reactions to a first vaccine dose to
co-opliving.com
skip the second.
Lyman encourages people to continue wearing masks
to protect those with cancer and others who won't be fully
protected.
MASKS PROTECT AGAINST ANY STRAIN
OF THE CORONAVIRUS
Global health leaders are extremely concerned about
new genetic variants of the coronavirus, which appear to
be at least 50% more contagious than the original.
So far, studies suggest vaccines will still work against
5.
these new strains.
One thing is clear: Public health measures - such as
avoiding crowds, physical distancing and masks - reduce
the risk of contracting all strains of the coronavirus, as well
as other respiratory diseases, Frieden says. For example,
the number of flu cases worldwide has been dramatically
lower since countries began asking citizens to stay home
and wear masks.
" Masks will remain effective, " Malani says. " But careful
and consistent use will be essential. "
The best hope for ending the pandemic isn't to choose
between masks, physical distancing and vaccines, Offit
says, but to combine them.
" The three approaches work
best as a team, " he says. ■
Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit news service covering health
issues and is an editorially independent program of Kaiser Family
Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
March-April 2021 | Cooperative Living | 25
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Cooperative Living March/April 2021

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