In June 2020, Jan Bates was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer and began treatment at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah (U of U).
"It was hard because I had to have surgery all by myself," Jan says. "I had my thyroid and 64 lymph nodes removed and nobody could come into the hospital鈥攜ou couldn鈥檛 have any visitors at that time. The staff knew it was hard for people, though, so they were super compassionate."
A month after her surgery, Jan underwent , which requires the patient be separated from others for seven days. "I already felt so isolated because of the pandemic. The only people I could see when quarantining were my family, and I had to be apart from them for a week. That was really tough, but we made it out on the other side. In February 2021, I had my scans and [the cancer] was all gone. I don鈥檛 have any recurrence so far."
Because Jan had been diagnosed with cancer, she was eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine earlier than others. She knew getting the vaccine was important so that she could not only protect herself, but also those around her. Now, as COVID-19 rates are again rising in Utah, Jan knows it isn鈥檛 enough that she鈥檚 vaccinated鈥攕he is counting on other Utahns to get vaccinated too.
"Your immunity serves as a robust surveillance system continuously monitoring your body for infection," says Sachin Apte, MD, MS, MBA, chief clinical officer and physician-in-chief at HCI and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the U of U. "Some cancer patients have suppressed immune systems due to either cancer treatments or the cancer itself. These are some of the factors that make cancer patients particularly vulnerable to COVID-19."
Over July 2021, the number of COVID-19 cases have been rising in Utah. Doctors are urging everyone to get vaccinated if they haven鈥檛 already done so.
"Unless someone is ineligible due to age restrictions or has a medical exception, I recommend getting vaccinated," says Apte. "Those who remain hesitant should speak with their doctors and seek reliable information. Every single person who becomes fully vaccinated contributes to our society taking one more step closer to controlling the pandemic so we can return to normal life. In the end, it鈥檚 a personal decision鈥攂ut one that could have significant consequences to you, your family, and your community."
Jan remembers watching the COVID-19 numbers closely during her treatment and did everything in her power to stay healthy. Cancer and cancer treatments may suppress the immune system, making these specific patients more vulnerable.
"To think you have this major risk to your health just because someone else was irresponsible and didn鈥檛 stay home or didn鈥檛 get vaccinated鈥攖hat scared the heck out of me," says Jan.
Apte explains that earlier in 2021, when the pandemic started to ease and vaccination rates were rising, HCI and 麻豆学生精品版 increased cancer services as patients began to re-engage in their health care.
"The current surge in COVID-19 cases places additional pressures on an already strained health care system," Apte says. "It has strained resources such as inpatient and critical care beds and operating rooms. We have deployed many health care workers to make sure we have sufficient ability to care for the needs of our cancer patients. But the more people who are vaccinated, the faster the pandemic can be controlled with fewer opportunities for deadly mutations. Simply put, vaccination saves lives and speeds up our society鈥檚 ability to get back to normal."