In a Plenary Paper, Mittelman and colleagues assess the relative clinical efficacy of mRNA vaccination on COVID-19 disease incidence and outcomes in patients with hematologic malignancies compared with healthy matched controls. This population-based study from Israel links prior observations of poor serologic responses to vaccination to higher risk for breakthrough infection, hospitalization, and death in patients with blood cancer, especially those on active antineoplastic therapy. In an accompanying Letter to Blood, Pagano et al provide supportive data using a multination survey approach to capture outcomes for COVID-19 in vaccinated patients with hematologic neoplasms. They also emphasize the higher risk among patients with lymphoid malignancies. Together, these findings argue for both continued deployment of booster programs and ongoing public health guidance for this vulnerable group.

Admiraal de Ruijter Hospital Goes The Netherlands

Clinical and Translational Fungal Working Group University of California San Diego La Jolla CA

Departamento de Hematologia Instituto Português de Oncologia Lisboa Portugal

Departement d'Hematologie Clinique Centre Hospitalier Universitaire 5535 Universite de Montpellier Montpellier France

Departement d'Oncologie Medicale Hematologie Institut Curie Saint Cloud France

Department 1 of Internal Medicine University of Cologne Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne Excellence Center for Medical Mycology Cologne Germany

Department of Hematological Medicine King's College Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust London United Kingdom

Department of Hematology Center for Hemoglobinopathies Herlev and Gentofte Hospital Herlev Denmark

Department of Hematology Dubrava University Hospital Zagreb Croatia

Department of Hematology Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli Institute for Cancer Research and Care Rome Italy

Department of Hematology Hospital Universitario de Burgos Burgos Spain

Department of Hematology Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Rome Italy

Department of Hematology University Medical Center Groningen Groningen The Netherlands

Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Marmara University Istanbul Turkey

Department of Internal Medicine Hematology and Oncology Masaryk University and University Hospital Brno Brno Czech Republic

Department of Medicine Surgery University of Insubria and Azienda socio sanitaria territoriale Sette Laghi Ospedale di Circolo of Varese Varese Italy

Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health Department of Medicine University of California San Diego San Diego CA

Division of Infectious Diseases Department of Internal Medicine Medical University of Graz Graz Austria

Fundacion Jimenez Diaz University Hospital Health Research Institute Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Fundación Jiménez Díaz Madrid Spain

German Centre for Infection Research Partner Site Bonn Cologne Cologne Germany

Hematology and Stem Cell Transplant Unit IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute Rome Italy

Hospital de Sant Joan Despí Moisès Broggi Sant Joan Despí Spain

Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol Institut Català d'Oncologia Badalona Servicio de Hematología Clínica Barcelona Spain

Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre Madrid Spain

Hospital Universitario de Cabueñes Gijón Spain

Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion Prague Czech Republic

La Paz University Hospital Madrid Spain

North Western State Medical University Iliá Ilich Méchnikov Saint Petersburg Russia

Portuguese Institute of Oncology Lisbon Portugal

Rigshospitalet Copenhagen Denmark

San Luigi Gonzaga Hospital Orbassano Orbassano Italy

Servicio de Hematología y Hemoterapia Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor Madrid Spain

Stem Cell Transplant Center Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Citta' della Salute e della Scienza Turin Italy

University of Cologne Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne Cologne Germany; and

University of Cologne Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne Clinical Trials Centre Cologne Cologne Germany

University of Cologne Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging Associated Diseases Cologne Germany

University of Milan and Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori Milan Italy

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Blood. 2022 Mar 10;139(10):1429-1430. doi: 10.1182/blood.2021014505. PubMed

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Need for ICU and outcome of critically ill patients with COVID-19 and haematological malignancies: results from the EPICOVIDEHA survey

Decoding the historical tale: COVID-19 impact on haematological malignancy patients-EPICOVIDEHA insights from 2020 to 2022

Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in COVID-19 patients with haematological malignancies: a report from the EPICOVIDEHA registry

COVID-19 in adult acute myeloid leukemia patients: a long-term follow-up study from the European Hematology Association survey (EPICOVIDEHA)

Breakthrough COVID-19 in vaccinated patients with hematologic malignancies: results from the EPICOVIDEHA survey

Breakthrough COVID-19 in Vaccinated Patients with Haematologic Malignancies-The First Single-Centre Experience from the Czech Republic