A fifth wave of COVID-19 is now spreading across the globe, with high rates in cancer patients. As the immune system is weakened by cancer, COVID-19 can more easily break through the immune system and cause infection in the human body. Therefore, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), European Society of Oncology (ESMO) and American Cancer Society (ACS) all recommend that cancer patients should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible.
Currently, there are two COVID-19 vaccines provided by the Hong Kong government. The first uses an inactivated version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and is known as the Sinovac vaccine; the second uses messenger RNA (mRNA), called the BioNTech vaccine.
Both vaccines have been approved by the Hong Kong Food and Health Bureau as safe and effective vaccines to reduce the risk of severe illness from contracting COVID-19.
In the video below, Icon Cancer Centre Hong Kong Medical Oncologist Dr. Thomas Yau uses different international clinical studies to deconstruct information about vaccination of cancer patients and answer frequently asked questions.