People with reduced immunity are at a higher risk of contracting coronavirus, with cancer patients high among those, is the warning from the Cancer Society.
Certain cancer treatment, chemotherapy in particular, damage the human bone marrow, leaving that marrow less able to produce red or white blood cells. This in turn means the human body's immune system is weaker than someone not undergoing treatment.
With the outbreak of coronavirus now sweeping the globe, cancer patients are more susceptible to risk of contracting Covid-19, due to that weakening of the immune system.
Appearing on TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning, Cancer Society medial director Doctor Chris Jackson spoke about the increased risk for cancer patients during the current outbreak.
"What we know is that people who have cancer are slightly more vulnerable to Covid-19, and also are at slightly more risk of having severe complications as well," Dr Jackson says.
"It's also people who've had recent surgery for cancer, and also for people who've had a diagnose for cancer in recent times.
"People who've had cancer, their immune systems are reduced slightly, but clearly those who are currently on treatment, or who've had things like bone marrow transplants in the last period are at increased risk.
"People who are on cancer treatment at the moment are at increased risks of Covid-19.
"What's important about that though, is that usually the benefits of cancer treatments are more than the risks of the virus. It's important that people stay on the current treatment that they're on, do not stop taking the cancer treatment.
"Every person who's on cancer treatment at the moment is going to be contacted by their cancer specialist, and their individual risk of harms and benefits of the treatment will be discussed with everyone over the next few weeks."
Due to the increased risk for cancer patients, medical practices are taking steps and precautions not seen before to keep patients safe while undergoing treatment, Dr Jackson adds.
However, it's also emphasised that the safest place for patients is still hospital.
"We don't recommend that people self-isolate if they've got cancer, but we do want people to keep up good hand-hygiene and conduct social distancing.
"What's happening in the health system at the moment, I've never seen this level of activity before. The amount of planning and preparation that's going on, the doctors and nurses literally working 16 acting hours a day in preparation for this.
"But what a lot of the centres are doing already is trying to keep patients away from the hospital as much as possible. How we're doing that is we're starting to do things like teleconferences and video conferences for people's appointments, so they have to attend the hospital less frequently.
"People will be slowly, if they can be, switched to treatments which have less frequent visits to the hospital, or switching over to oral treatments where an equivalent oral treatment is available. We'll be working with Pharmac on hopefully making different treatments available to people.
"That will mean they don't have to come to hospital as often, which will hopefully mean their risks are reduced.
"What's also important is that if people with cancer are sick, the safest place for them is still hospital.
"If people who've got cancer get temperatures or become unwell, then the right thing to do is to call their cancer centre, and follow the instructions, which is usually to come to hospital."
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