COVID-19 vaccination in haematology patients: an Australian and New Zealand consensus position statement

Georgia McCaughan; Pietro Di Ciaccio; Michelle Ananda-Rajah; Nicole Gilroy; Raina MacIntyre; Benjamin Teh; Robert Weinkove; Jennifer Curnow; Jeff Szer; Anoop K Enjeti; David M Ross; Stephen Mulligan; Judith Trotman; Michael Dickinson; Hang Quach; Phillip Choi; Mark N Polizzotto; Constantine S Tam; P Joy Ho; Matthew Ku; Gareth Gregory; Shane Gangatharan; Greg Hapgood; Tara Cochrane; Chan Cheah; Simon Gibbs; Andrew Wei; Anna Johnston; Matthew Greenwood; H Miles Prince; Maya Latimer; Leanne Berkahn; Joel Wight; Tasman Armytage; Nada Hamad

doi:10.1111/imj.15247

COVID-19 vaccination in haematology patients: an Australian and New Zealand consensus position statement

Intern Med J. 2021 May;51(5):763-768. doi: 10.1111/imj.15247.

Authors

Georgia McCaughan^#^{1

2}, Pietro Di Ciaccio^#^{1

2}, Michelle Ananda-Rajah^{3

4}, Nicole Gilroy⁵, Raina MacIntyre⁶, Benjamin Teh^{7

8}, Robert Weinkove^{9

10}, Jennifer Curnow^{11

12

13}, Jeff Szer^{14

15}, Anoop K Enjeti^{16

17

18}, David M Ross^{19

20

21}, Stephen Mulligan^{12

22

23}, Judith Trotman^{12

24}, Michael Dickinson^{14

15}, Hang Quach^{15

25}, Phillip Choi^{26

27

28}, Mark N Polizzotto^{1

2

29}, Constantine S Tam^{14

15

25}, P Joy Ho^{12

30}, Matthew Ku^{15

25}, Gareth Gregory³¹, Shane Gangatharan^{32

33}, Greg Hapgood³⁴, Tara Cochrane^{35

36}, Chan Cheah^{32

37

38}, Simon Gibbs^{39

40}, Andrew Wei^{41

42}, Anna Johnston^{43

44}, Matthew Greenwood^{12

22}, H Miles Prince^{14

15

45}, Maya Latimer²⁸, Leanne Berkahn^{46

47}, Joel Wight^{15

48}, Tasman Armytage⁴⁹, Nada Hamad^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Haematology, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
² St Vincent's Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
³ Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Health and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁴ General Medical Unit, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁵ Centre for Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁶ Biosecurity Program, The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁷ National Centre for Infections in Cancer, Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁸ Department of Infectious Diseases, Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁹ Wellington Blood and Cancer Centre, Capital and Coast District Health Board, Wellington, New Zealand.
¹⁰ Cancer Immunotherapy Programme, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Wellington, New Zealand.
¹¹ Department of Haematology, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹² Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹³ Sydney Centres for Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁴ Clinical Haematology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
¹⁵ Faculty of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
¹⁶ NSW Health Pathology, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁷ Department of Haematology, Calvary Mater Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁸ School of Medicine and Public Health Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁹ Department of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia.
²⁰ Centre for Cancer Biology, University of South Australia and SA Pathology, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
²¹ Precision Medicine Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, and Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
²² Department of Haematology, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
²³ Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia Australian Research Consortium (CLLARC), Australia.
²⁴ Department of Haematology, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
²⁵ Department of Haematology, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
²⁶ ACRF Department of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
²⁷ The National Platelet Research and Referral Centre (NPRC), Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
²⁸ Haematology Department, The Canberra Hospital, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
²⁹ The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
³⁰ Department of Haematology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
³¹ Department of Haematology, Monash Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
³² Faculty of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
³³ Department of Haematology, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
³⁴ Department of Haematology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
³⁵ Department of Haematology, Gold Coast University Hospital, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
³⁶ Faculty of Medicine, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
³⁷ Department of Haematology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
³⁸ Department of Haematology, Pathwest Laboratory Medicine, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
³⁹ Department of Haematology, Eastern Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁴⁰ Faculty of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁴¹ Department of Clinical Hematology, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁴² Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁴³ Department of Haematology, The Royal Hobart Hospital, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
⁴⁴ Faculty of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
⁴⁵ Department of Haematology, Epworth Healthcare, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁴⁶ Department of Haematology, The Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
⁴⁷ Faculty of Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
⁴⁸ Faculty of Medicine, Townsville University Hospital, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
⁴⁹ Department of Haematology, Gosford Hospital, Gosford, New South Wales, Australia.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Australia and New Zealand have achieved excellent community control of COVID-19 infection. In light of the imminent COVID-19 vaccination roll out in both countries, representatives from the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand and infectious diseases specialists have collaborated on this consensus position statement regarding COVID-19 vaccination in patients with haematological disorders. It is our recommendation that patients with haematological malignancies, and some benign haematological disorders, should have expedited access to high-efficacy COVID-19 vaccines, given that these patients are at high risk of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 infection. Vaccination should not replace other public health measures in these patients, given that the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination, specifically in patients with haematological malignancies, is not known. Given the limited available data, prospective collection of safety and efficacy data of COVID-19 vaccination in this patient group is a priority.

Keywords: COVID-19; haematology; leukaemia; lymphoma; plasma cell; vaccination.

MeSH terms

Australia / epidemiology
COVID-19 Vaccines
COVID-19*
Consensus
Hematology*
Humans
New Zealand / epidemiology
Prospective Studies
SARS-CoV-2
Vaccination

Substances

COVID-19 Vaccines