Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance for people with cancer

No matter where you live in the UK, here are some suggestions from Macmillan’s cancer specialists that can help you make decisions about keeping safe:

• Have all doses of the covid vaccine, including boosters when they are offered to you.
• Have the flu vaccine when it is offered to you. 
• Follow local guidelines for what you can and cannot do.
• Continue to take covid precautions that feel right for you, for example:
  • meet people outside when possible
  • wear a mask in public places or when meeting indoors with people you don’t live with
  • avoid crowds
  • continue with good hand washing/hand sanitising
  • keep rooms well ventilated if you have guests at home.
• Try to avoid close contact with people who have not been vaccinated.
• If you live with children or anyone else who has not been vaccinated, you can ask them to continue to take extra care.
• You and your household can carry out regular self-testing for covid with lateral flow tests. 
• If anyone has symptoms of covid, they should self-isolate and book a PCR test straight away. You can read more about arranging a test in:
  
  • England
  • Scotland
  • Wales
  • Northern Ireland

Many people with cancer have been anxious about the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on their treatment and care. They may also have been worried that having treatment could put them more at risk of becoming very unwell with coronavirus.

The advice for people with cancer is please continue with your treatment and care plan as agreed with your healthcare team. Your healthcare team will talk with you about your treatment and appointments.

We have more information about coronavirus and cancer treatment.

New treatments for Covid-19 have been developed to help people who are at most risk. This includes some people with cancer whose immune system may be low (immunosuppressed).

The treatments are aimed to stop people becoming seriously unwell with Covid-19 and to avoid the need for people to be admitted to hospital. They are designed to work in the early stages of covid. They need to be taken as soon as possible after a positive test.

These treatments are now being made available in the UK. Find out more about coronavirus treatments in:

• England
• Northern Ireland
• Scotland
• Wales

If you have finished cancer treatment or have had cancer in the past, you may be worried about your risk of coronavirus. Coronavirus is a viral infection that affects the lungs. Anyone who has a weakened immune system is more at risk of being seriously ill if they get coronavirus (COVID-19). Talk to your GP or hospital team if you are worried about your risk of being seriously ill if you get coronavirus.

We have more information about coronavirus after cancer treatment. 

We have listed some organisations and websites that have accessible coronavirus information in other formats and languages. This includes links to easy read booklets and British Sign Language (BSL) content. These resources are not specifically for people living with cancer but you may find them helpful.

We have listed some websites that provide information on how coronavirus has impacted certain communities.

• Race Equality Foundation has information about risk factors of coronavirus and the impact on black and minority ethnic communities. You can also download the COVID-19 and Black and Minority Ethnic Communities easy read leaflet (PDF).
• Stonewall has information about how coronavirus is affecting LGBT communities and a list of organisations that can support you. 
• Friends, Families and Travellers has advice and support for gypsy, traveller and boater communities. There is information for local authorities and organisations that support the travelling community as well as some information for travellers themselves.