ASTCT Resources for COVID-19
ASTCT Headquarters is closely monitoring the developing news about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) from the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and our community. We want you to know that we are placing the highest priority on the health and safety of all of our members and their patients and we will make decisions moving forward with the input of public health officials.
This community contains up-to-date information and resources to help you stay informed as the situation progresses. These resources are available to the public, however, you will need to log in to your ASTCT member account or create a guest account to participate in discussions or reply to blog posts. Click here to log in or create a guest account. PLEASE NOTE: All users (member and guest) are required to accept the ASTCT terms of use and privacy policy when creating an account. Click here to learn more about using the features in this community.
CDC Updated Guidance for COVID-19 Vaccination
On February 11, 2022, the CDC updated its guidance for COVID-19 vaccination to include:
- For people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised:
- An update that people who have completed a primary series of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) are recommended to receive an mRNA booster dose 3 months (instead of 5 months) after the last primary dose.
- An update that people who have received a single Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine should receive one additional dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and one booster dose (preferably mRNA) for a total of 3 vaccine doses.
- A clarification of a current recommendation to confirm that those who have completed their primary series of 3 mRNA doses should receive an mRNA vaccine booster dose—to make a total of 4 doses.
- For those who previously received passive COVID-19 antibody products:
- A simplification of existing guidance in that they do not need to wait for any period prior to COVID-19 vaccination.
These changes are designed to eliminate confusion related to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for these populations, and ensure that people are better protected from the potentially severe consequences of COVID-19.
Please see key messages and talking points here.
Below is a list of resources and upcoming informational activities related to the recommendation:
Patient Guidelines
Members of ASTCT's Infectious Disease SIG have developed guidelines for COVID-19 management of HCT and cellular therapy patients. These guidelines will be modified as new information becomes available, including more data on epidemiology and clinical outcomes, and the efficacy of drug therapies including clinical trial outcomes of novel therapeutics. Click here to view updated guidelines.
ASH-ASTCT COVID 19 Vaccine FAQs
The ASH-ASTCT COVID-19 Vaccination for HCT and CAR T cell recipients: Frequently Asked Questions were updated in March 2022 and can be found here.
The authors of the FAQs are a team of experts representing both ASH and ASTCT. The team works together to develop this document which is updated periodically when new data become available. All current guidances are based on opinions of the ASTCT/ASH COVID-19 Vaccine expert panel.
Contributors to the FAQs document are: Fareed Khawaja, MD; Roy F. Chemaly, MD, PhD; Sanjeet Dadwal, MD; Steven A. Pergam, MD, MPH; John Wingard, MD; Jeffery Auletta, MD; Zeinab El Boghdadly, MBBCh; Maheen Abidi, MD; Alpana Waghmare, MD; Zainab Shahid, MD; Laura Michaels, MD; Joshua Hill, MD; Tobias M. Hohl, MD, PhD; Mini Kamboj, MD; Genovefa Papanicolaou, MD; and Michael Boeckh, MD.
The General Principles of COVID-19 Vaccines for Immunocompromised Patients are available here.
The authors of the document are a team of experts representing both ASH and ASTCT. The team worked together to develop this document. All current guidances are based on the opinions of the ASTCT/ASH COVID-19 Vaccine expert panel.
Contributors are: Jeff Auletta, MD; Maheen Z. Abidi, MD Roy F. Chemaly, MD; Fareed Khawaja, MD; Mini Kamboj, MD, Genovefa Papanicolaou, MD; Josh Hill, MD; Julie Kanter, MD; Alpana Waghmare, MD; Adrian Wiestner, MD; John R. Wingard, MD, Jane Winter, MD; Laura C. Michaelis, MD, Sanjeet Dadwal, MD; Zeinab El Boghdadly, MD, Tobias Hohl, MD, PhD, Michael Boeckh, MD
Event Updates and Webinars
As this is an evolving situation, we will keep our website updated with the latest news and information related to all of our upcoming events. Additionally, due to travel restrictions related to COVID-19, some speakers at upcoming meetings will be required to present their sessions virtually. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your attendance at events, you may direct them to info@astct.org.
ASTCT is in the process of developing additional educational webinars to share updates and resources. Click here to view upcoming COVID-19 related content. Recordings of past webinars can be found here.
News and Updates
ASTCT and CIBMTR have issued a joint press release on guidelines and measures for combating COVID-19 and protecting transplant patients. Read it here.
In addition to our educational resources, please visit NUCLEUS or this community's blog for more information and updates.
External Resources
As we receive additional patient guidelines, updates from the CDC or WHO, or policy updates, that information will be posted to the resource library within this community.
CIBMTR Data Reporting for COVID-19: In an effort to inform centers, clinicians and patients about the impact of the pandemic on transplant and cellular therapy recipients, CIBMTR has made several alterations to forms and reporting to facilitate collection and dissemination of data on COVID-19 infections. See CIBMTR website for more details: www.cibmtr.org
The Transplant Associated Learning Network Team (TALNT) has an international COVID-19 Working Group used to aid in the exchange of institutional practices and resources regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic. If you are interested in joining this network, please email Hannah Ingraham at Hannah.ingraham@cchmc.org.
Discussion Forum
You can use the discussion forum within this community to connect and share information and updates from within your institution.
