Akshay Sharma, MBBS, of St. Jude Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, contributed to research that shows bone marrow transplant recipients are at an increased risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms.
Physical distancing. Wearing a mask. Frequent hand washing. All are important ways to prevent COVID-19.
A new study suggests children and adults who receive bone marrow transplants should make prevention a priority.
Researchers studied 318 transplant recipients from around the world who developed COVID-19. These patients were more likely than the general public or cancer patients to develop severe COVID-19 and die. Even recipients whose transplants occurred more than one year earlier were at increased risk.
COVID-19 survival is 95–99% in the general population. It was about 68% among transplant recipients in this study.
“Transplant recipients should take the utmost precautions to avoid exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19,” said Akshay Sharma, MBBS, of St. Jude Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.
Lancet Haematology published a report on this study.
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