Covid-19 Breakthrough Infections Among Patients With Cancer Receiving Sinopharm Bibp Vaccine Publisher



Manteghinejad A¹ ; Arabzadeh S¹ ; Rezaian Z¹ ; Sharifi M^{1, 2} ; Javanmard SH³
Source: International Journal of Cancer Management Published:2022

Abstract

Background: Patients with cancer are at an increased risk of mortality from COVID-19 infection. So, they are prioritized for vac-cination. However, there is limited data about the immunogenicity, safety, and effectiveness of inactivated vaccines in preventing COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality in patients with cancer. Objectives: This study aimed to report the clinical characteristics of patients who had a positive PCR test after being fully vaccinated with the Sinopharm BIBP Vaccine. Methods: In this retrospective study, the data of patients with cancer were extracted from the electronic health records of a cancer center in Isfahan, Iran. All COVID-19 data from Isfahan province also was collected by Isfahan COVID-19 Registry (I-CORE). We described the clinical characteristics of patients with cancer who have a positive test more than14 days after the second dose. Results: Two hundred twenty-two patients with cancer had at least one positive PCR test after the start of the COVID-19 vaccina-tion. Of these, 9 (4.1%) breakthrough infections have occurred. Six (67%) of them had hematological malignancies. Six (67%) were hospitalized and 3 (33%) patients died. Two of them had recent chemotherapy and have hematological malignancies. Conclusions: Vaccination is a good way to protect the population from COVID-19 complications and mortality, but it should be considered that fully-vaccinated patients with cancer are at risk of severe outcomes. Nevertheless, prioritizing cancer patients, es-pecially those with hematological malignancies, or receiving chemotherapies for booster vaccines and studying the effectiveness of each COVID-19 vaccine for patients with cancer should be considered. © 2022, Author(s).