Dr. Adrian Warnock is a fellow doctor with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and a strong advocate in the UK for his fellow CLL patients. His highly opinionated blog/website, Blood Cancer Uncensored is well worth checking out.
Albert Einstein famously said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” Einstein recognized that problems are full of clues to their own successful solution.
In order to solve the problem of how CLL patients can safely re-enter the world post-pandemic, we first need to recognize the scope of the problem to best formulate the proper questions and then the possible solutions.
It seems that in the United Kingdom four out of five blood cancer patients were never informed of the significant likelihood that they remain substantially unprotected from COVID-19 after vaccination.
This not only exposes those vulnerable patients to avoidable risks. It is also obfuscating the pressing societal need of protecting the 3% of the population that is immune-compromised.
At CLL Society, we have consistently advised our readers that the safest course of action is to act as if you are unvaccinated, even if you have received both jabs. Many others apparently have not heard that message.
Please take a look at Dr. Warnock’s article: The Most Dangerous Time for Blood Cancer Patients, as Only 20% Were Told Vaccines May Not Work for Them.
Blood Cancer UK who did this research has been a wonderful partner in responding to the needs of blood cancer patients since the outbreak of COVID-19.
While this survey is based in the UK, the issues are the same around the globe for CLL patients.
Solutions start with knowing what the problems are.
Stay strong. We are all in this together.
Brian Koffman MDCM (retired) MS Ed
Co-Founder, Executive VP and Chief Medical Officer
CLL Society, Inc.
