COVID-19 outcomes in haemopoietic stem cell transplant recipients in Western Australia: the value of vaccination and antiviral therapy

Intern Med J. 2024 Apr;54(4):664-670. doi: 10.1111/imj.16368. Epub 2024 Apr 4.

Abstract

Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) mortality rates among haemopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients are high, ranging between 20% and 40%. We prospectively evaluated the mortality outcomes of COVID-19 in Western Australian HSCT patients. A total of 32/492 (6.5%) HSCT recipients contracted COVID-19 during the study, of whom 30/32 (94%) developed mild or asymptomatic disease. Two allogeneic HSCT patients were hospitalised for severe COVID-19; one patient died. Stringent healthcare, social isolation practices, aggressive vaccination programmes and rapid access to COVID-19 antivirals may have promoted mild COVID-19 illness in Western Australian HSCT patients, resulting in one of the lowest COVID-19 mortality rates in HSCT recipients worldwide.

Keywords: COVID‐19; antiviral; bone marrow transplant; vaccination.

MeSH terms

  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use
  • Australia
  • COVID-19*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation*
  • Humans
  • Transplant Recipients
  • Vaccination
  • Western Australia / epidemiology

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents