

If you are a current or past breast cancer patient, ask to receive the vaccine in the arm opposite of your breast cancer site. The vaccines are safe for patients in treatment but will likely be more effective if timed in coordination with the treatment schedule. Check with your provider for vaccine timing recommendations prior to scheduling. Patients currently receiving chemotherapy, immunotherapy, CAR T cell therapy, stem cell treatments or participating in clinical trials can still receive the vaccine. Tereffe: After careful review of all available scientific evidence, our clinical experts have determined that the COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are safe and recommended for former and current cancer patients. Are they safe? Can you still get infected with COVID-19 if you've been vaccinated? How soon will you be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine and get back to some semblance of a normal life? When can cancer patients get vaccinated?įor answers to these COVID-19 vaccine questions and more, we spoke with our chief medical executive Welela Tereffe, M.D., infectious diseases specialist and head of Internal Medicine David Tweardy, M.D., and infectious diseases and infection control specialist Elizabeth Frenzel, M.D.Īre the COVID-19 vaccines safe for cancer patients? As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase, you probably have a lot of questions about coronavirus vaccines.
