Hematological Malignancies in the Coronavirus Disease-2019 Era: Evaluation of Patient Outcomes and the Reasons for Vaccination Hesitation

COVID-19 infection in patients with HM

Abstract

Background: Patients with haematological diseases (HD) risk developing severe and life-threatening infections due to immunodeficiency and immunosuppressive therapies.

Aims: To evaluate the outcome of COVID-19 infection in patients with HD and to investigate vaccination hesitancy.

Methods: This research was carried out at Dr Lütfi Kırdar Kartal Training and Research Hospital between December 2021 and May 2022. The research group consisted of 200 HD patients who were continuously followed up or treated in the haematology outpatient clinic. 

Results: The study group's six patients (3.0%) had COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Two of these patients stated that they were not vaccinated because of "unknown side effects", two "did not see themselves at risk because they never go out", and two did not state any reason. It was found that the COVID-19 vaccine status in the study group differed significantly according to the diagnosis of haematological disease (p=0.005). No significant relationship was found between the severity of COVID-19 disease and pre-/post-vaccine infection status (p=0.713). The seriousness of COVID-19 condition in HD patients differed significantly according to the number of vaccines received (p=0.024). 

Conclusions: The COVID-19 vaccine can be used safely in patients with HDs, and increasing the vaccine dose has a protective effect. Vaccination hesitancy in patients with haematological diseases was due to unknown side effects and not see themselves at risk (due to isolation). Accurately informing patients about these issues may reduce vaccine hesitancy.