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

Abstract

AbstractCoronavirus‐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.