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COVID-19 vaccination for people with lung cancer

December 2021 Update

COVID-19 vaccination

We have been encouraged by the rollout of vaccines now available to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 infection. These have been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MRHA). 

The UK comprehensive vaccination programme is now ongoing. Many people who are affected by lung cancer will have received two or three primary jags. If you are not considered clinically vulnerable you will have been invited for two primary jags and then a third booster dose. 

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) prioritised roll out of the vaccination in relation to: 

  • Age 
  • Health problems that might make someone vulnerable to infection 
  • Those who are at high risk of exposure due to their caring roles, including health and social care staff. Consideration was also given for household members who perhaps were at low risk, but who could transmit infection to vulnerable people they live with. 

Attending for all the vaccinations you are eligible for, helps reduce the risk to the community and the resulting pressure on NHS services. 

In the UK, three different covid-19 vaccines have now been authorised by the MHRA: 

  • Moderna  
  • University of Oxford/AstraZeneca 
  • Pfizer/BioNTech 

While universities and pharmaceutical companies have fast-tracked these vaccines, they have maintained rigorous standards for health. There is also still a huge amount of development work happening across the world. 

Some other medicines, previously developed to prevent or treat other respiratory and influenza-like viruses, are part of ongoing research to see if they can be “repurposed” or adapted to help with COVID-19. The research builds on existing evidence and experience of managing other related viruses. 

People with lung cancer are asking us many questions about COVID-19 and vaccinations and we have tried to answer some of them here: 

If you still have any questions or concerns about vaccinations, or are worried about lung cancer and COVID-19, please phone our confidential Ask the nurse service on freephone 0800 358 7200, or email lungcancerhelp@roycastle.org