2/x What's the background? The pandemic continues. ๐พSome people are at excess risk and can't hug loved ones, see family or enter normal life ๐ข. We all believe they are the #immunocompromised, but what does the data show? ๐ป
3/x This data looked at 16โ208โ600 vaccined individuals across England๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ, Scotland๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ, Ireland ๐ฎ๐ช and Wales ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ท๓ ฌ๓ ณ๓ ฟ. i.e. EVERYONE. From Dec 8, 2020, and Feb 28, 2022, so it includes the OMICRON ERA, so relevant. Risk was very carefully defined.
4/x What did they find? ๐๐ซข. For a few significantly higher risk. nearly 6x for the immunocompromised. Also risk for those with more comorbidies, and this includes those with immunocompromised disease. But if you survive, you are proteted for 9ms...
5/x More detail now. Here's the risk table. we call it a forest plot. The red dot represents risk ๐ด. The lines represents uncertainty. Adjusted risk is at the bottom, 0-25x. I've added orange boxes- ๐ง , for the #immunocompromised.
6/x. What do they say? ๐
7/x Anything else they found? If you add in age, particularly above 70, then the risk climbs. Previous risk factors like ethnicity, deprivation, BMI, urban/rural no longer drive risk. #immunocompromised DOES! @SGriffin_Lab
8/x Why does this matter? There are half a million immunocompromised people in the UK. Many are still shielding, still in isolation, still unable to work, see friends or hug loved ones. They are #forgotten500k, unheard and calling on us to notice.
9/x Prophylactic antibody therapies like #evusheld give back an โimmuneโ system to those who are immunocompromised. It is given in a similar way to a vaccine and it prevents infections. Studies from Israel/France/US show it is working well, even against omicron
10/x 32 countries are delivering additional levels of protection this winter to protect immunocompromised patients who have not responded to the coronavirus vaccine, using new therapies, not available in the UK- prophylactic antibody therapies.
11/x Thanks to patients, clinicians @AlexRichter3@ProfBMT + myself as champions, the clinical community has also sprung into action. Patients, 125 clinicians from 17 medical specialities & 4 nations are bringing online professional organisations/charities for a call to action.
12/x No one is sure if DHSC will offer protection or consider a pilot to protect #immunocompromised patients with #evusheld this Winter. Budgets might be an issue. However, patient power has seemingly swung into action. They are asking in mass about what they need. @hughesthenews
13/x We are yet to know if the data will be actioned, or levers pulled by @DHSCgovuk. Thank you to @EdinburghUni for another amazing hard hitting article putting a microscope to the risk to the population from COVID-19 and #immunocompromised. #Tourdeforce.
โข โข โข
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
1/x *** New Research ***. ๐What can be done to protect immunocompromised patients? New press release from @AstraZeneca. , and it's about a therapy called Sipavibart, the successor to Evusheld. astrazeneca.com/media-centre/pโฆ
2/x. What is the background? Some individuals in our community are more prone to infections, they are called immunocomromised. There are ~ 500,000-1.5M with these conditions. When they get infections, they can fight it less well. ๐ And the pandemic hit, this was a problem.
3/x It includes renal transplant patients, primary immunodeficiencies, those with cancer & blood cancers, kidney disease, and those with primary immunodeficiencies. It's a fair number. Most doctors want to protect these patients from infectious diseases by what ever means ๐
1/x ๐งต ***NEW RESEARCH *** How has #COVID-19 disease evolved in people living with #cancer and who remains at risk? Find out more in our latest publication from @UKCORONACANCER: https://t.co/P9NdBtbCRWnature.com/articles/s4159โฆ
2/x It is relevant as healthcare systems develop strategies for living with SARS-CoV-2 as an endemic disease and informing individual discussions between cancer patients and their oncologists. And to ensure that no one is left behind or forgotten.
3/x What was done? They analysed COVID-19 infections in the ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ population, assessing rates of COVID-19 related hospitalisation, intensive care admission and mortality. It ran Winter 20-Summer 22
2/x What's the issue ? The UK delivers successful cancer care. Year on year, people live longer and better lives. gov.uk/government/newโฆ. 10% improved survival in 15 years. That is by achieved early diagnosis, having better treatment the best cancer staff, research. ๐๐๐ฌ๐งโ
3/x but.... there's a flipside. Our Cancer leadership quote "Demand for cancer treatment is increasing by approximately 6-8% every year" and "They are being asked to deliver more treatment with the same staffing numbers"
1/x ๐งตThis Friday at 10:30am, we're excited to announce the reboot of the #forgotten500K campaign with an update from the podcasts hosted by @claremenglish, @MarkOak04974342, @NikolaBrigden. Here's the message for 2023 in advance. RT. ๐
2/x "The #forgotten500K are a group of immunocompromised patients who have not been prioritized during the pandemic and are experiencing higher ongoing levels of risk. The group started off as individuals asking for help while still in isolation during the pandemic.
3/x They were speaking as individuals trying their best to be heard virtually, as they were not able to leave their homes and re-enter normal life like everyone else. However, the #forgotten500K patient campaign brought them together, providing support and one voice. amazing
1/x Several months ago, @katebingham2 drove the UK pandemic response. She is incredible ๐ฆธโโ๏ธ- thanks for your insight. But then she finished and something extraordinary happened. The Winter plan to protect the #immunocompromised was quietly dropped....๐ซ Why does it matter? ๐คท๐คทโโ๏ธ๐คทโโ๏ธ
2/x Because it had widespread clinical & academic backing for our 2022 Winter plan. Cohorts were identified & large teams of clinicians worked around the clock to work out which of #immunocompromised who don't have high levels of protection from vaccination could be protected ๐ฉโโ๏ธ
3/x This would have put us in line with 32 countries who were protected their #immunocompromised during the Winter months when COVID cases rise. If you don't respond to vaccines ๐, then your risk of hospitalisation, ITU admission & not recovering from COVID is ๐
2/x Why did they do it? Because 1โฃ cancer patients are at high risk from covid ๐ 2โฃ Many don't get an immune response to vaccines ๐ 3โฃ They wanted to find the scale of the problem ๐ฅ. So they decided to go global! ๐
3/x. The team searched 3065 papers published from the start of vaccination to March 2022. They looked at third dose boosters ๐. They looked across all cancer types. They found 15 studies encompassing 1205 patients๐งโ๐คโ๐ง. The largest global review ๐