*COVID Update December 2021*
In view of the recent increase in COVID infections in the UK, we would like to share a message of caution to red cell teams and patients with haemoglobinopathies and inherited rare anaemias in the UK.
Sickle cell disease and thalassaemia patients are extremely vulnerable to getting very ill; in the 1st and 2nd waves of the COVID pandemic, over half of those with sickle cell disease who caught COVID-19 needed to be admitted to hospital and 10% required intensive care treatment, including help with breathing. For those with thalassaemia who contracted COVID-19, over 20% needed treatment in hospital, with around 5% needing intensive care.
We do not yet have data from the current wave of the pandemic, or details of how the omicron variant will affect patients with haemoglobinopathies, but our advice is to book your first, second and booster COVID vaccinations if you have not yet had them.
Please contact your local haematology team if you would like more information.