Great news for people living with blood cancer sufferers (from Blood Cancer UK)

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I'm sure BCUK won't mind me sharing this with you, but at last we seem to be getting recognition

John

BREAKING NEWS – The Government agrees to prioritise household members for the vaccine

I am writing to share some brilliant news with you – the Westminster Government has today announced that household members of people with blood cancer are being made a priority for a vaccine.

This is really good news, as we know that people with blood cancer are at particular risk from covid, and also that the vaccine may not work as well for them because of their weakened immune systems. So vaccinating the people around them is important for protecting them.

Today’s news is down to the amazing campaigning from all of you over the last couple of months, writing to your MPs and other representatives and keeping the focus on the issue. Thanks to your efforts, people with blood cancer will now be better protected and so, on behalf of everyone with blood cancer, I want to say a massive thank you.

This shows once again that through concerted effort, we can get a better deal for people affected by blood cancer.

But the fight doesn’t stop there. We need to get funding for the research that will tell us which people with blood cancer the vaccines are most likely to work for, and we want the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to give doctors the ability to decide when their patients with blood cancer should get a second dose of a vaccine.

We’re continuing to campaign for this, and we’ll keep you updated on how you can help us get these changes.

While just England has confirmed that it will be adopting this guidance from the JCVI, we are seeking confirmation from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We'll continue to keep you updated.

Finally, thank you all for your continued support

Best wishes,

Gemma Peters

Chief Executive at Blood Cancer UK

Following this news, it's only natural that you may have questions and concerns, such as how household members can get the vaccine. We're looking into this and will update you as and when we know more about how these vaccines will be rolled out.

In the meantime, please get in touch with our free and confidential Support Services Team, who will be able to give you tailored information and support on blood cancer and the impact of covid.

If you're able to make a donation, we'd really appreciate it. This will help us to keep funding the vital life-saving research needed to beat blood cancer. Because we can't do it without you.