Covid jab

Hello Susan21

Thank you for getting in touch with us at such a challenging time, and welcome to our online community. My name is Annerose, I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurses here at the Macmillan Cancer Support line.

I hope you are coping well with your chemotherapy, and it is only natural to wonder about having the Covid vaccine.

The general advise about the Covid vaccine and cancer is that it is safe to get for people living with cancer, and the vaccines can be given to people who are having cancer treatment.

Covid vaccines are NOT live vaccines and therefore are safe to have for people with a reduced immune system such as from chemotherapy.

It is unknown when the best timing would be to have the Covid vaccine during chemotherapy, but it is often suggested to have it as close to the next cycle as possible, and to avoid having it on the same day as chemotherapy.

It might be a good idea to speak to your team about when your immune system is at its best between chemotherapy cycles, or if there are specific times when vaccines are recommended or need to be avoided whilst you are on chemotherapy, as this can be different for different drugs.

It is however possible that the vaccines may be slightly less effective for people having chemotherapy or other cancer treatments. But it is still expected that the vaccines will give useful protection against the virus. 

I hope this has been helpful. Please don’t hesitate to get back in touch with us. Often it is easier to discuss things over the phone. The number to call is 0808 808 0000 and we are open from 8am to 8pm every day. Press option 1 then 3 to speak to a nurse.

Best wishes and take care 

Annerose (Cancer Information Nurse Specialist) 

Ref/ AM/KE