Newsletter - Hunker Down

Hunker Down

A Message from Dr. Tony Blau

The last couple of months have witnessed a sea change in the battle against COVID-19. The Delta variant, now responsible for almost all cases in the U.S., is much more contagious and likely more virulent than preceding strains. The key element of this new reality is that even vaccinated healthy people can get the Delta variant and can spread it to others. That means that patients with multiple myeloma can get COVID-19 from their friends and family members, even if they and their friends and family had been vaccinated. And COVID-19 is much more likely to be fatal in patients with multiple myeloma than in individuals with normal immune systems.

In the June newsletter, I described an All4Cure participant who had an aggressive form of multiple myeloma that had progressed through a series of treatments until, almost miraculously, he responded to an experimental agent administered as part of a clinical trial. He died from COVID-19 acquired from his spouse, who had in turn been infected by a friend. My message at the time was the critical importance that all close contacts of patients with multiple myeloma be fully vaccinated to provide a bubble of immunity since vaccinated myeloma patients cannot count on their own measly immune systems for protection (even with the recently approved third shot).  

While vaccinations remain critically important, the Delta variant means that family members and other close contacts of patients with multiple myeloma cannot depend solely on vaccinations to protect their loved ones. This point was drilled home by the death this month of another All4Cure participant due to COVID-19. She and her close contacts all appear to have been vaccinated.  

Since vaccinations alone can no longer be relied upon to provide sufficient protection, patients with myeloma and their family members must rely on the tried and true (now seemingly old-fashioned) methods for reducing their risk for infection – avoiding crowds, social distancing, and wearing masks in public. Delta will not be the last variant to cause trouble in the ongoing fight against COVID-19. But we can, and our families can protect ourselves while cautiously proceeding to live our lives.