COVID-19 Vaccine for people with MPNs (updated 11th Jan 2021)
Having an MPN and any MPN treatment is not a contraindication to receiving the vaccine. Patients with MPN are in group 4, or higher priority if older. For information regarding prioritisation of vaccination use this link.
If you are taking an anticoagulant, e.g., warfarin, rivaroxaban, apixaban etc, you will be asked about bleeding.
Take a list of all your medications with you when you go for a vaccine assessment.
Allergic reactions to the vaccine. You will be asked by staff before you are vaccinated if you ever had anaphylaxis and need to carry an epi pen. Facilities will be available to deal with reactions. Read the latest COVID-19 vaccine advice if you have a history of allergies on Gov.UK
What to expect after the COVID vaccine? Information for people who have had their first COVID-19 vaccination is available here.
How safe is the COVID-19 vaccine? There is excellent information available on the vaccines (see links below).
All 3 vaccines approved for use in the UK have met strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness set out by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Any Coronavirus vaccine that is approved must go through all the clinical trials and safety checks all other licensed medicines go through. The MHRA follows international standards of safety.
Other vaccines are being developed, they will be available on the NHS once they have been thoroughly tested to make sure they are safe and effective. So far, thousands of people have been given a COVID-19 vaccine and reports of serious side effects, such as allergic reactions, have been very rare. No long-term complications have been reported.
If you want to read more about the vaccines use the links below:
- GOV.UK: Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 approved by MHRA
- GOV.UK: Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19 approved by MHRA
- GOV.UK: Moderna vaccine for COVID-19 approved by MHRA
Information for pregnancy and breastfeeding – the guidance issued can be read here.
Statement produced by The British Society for Haematology (BSH)
The British Society for Haematology (BSH) has produced a statement regarding COVID-19 vaccination in patients with haematological disorders, which has been reviewed by the Intercollegiate Committee on Haematology on behalf of the Royal College of Physicians of London and the Royal College of Pathologists. Specialist haematology groups have also contributed to the statement, which includes MPN Voice (with the information above regarding the COVID-19 vaccine for people with MPNs).
The full statement is available on the BSH website.
