Blood and marrow transplantation during the emerging COVID-19 pandemic: the Seattle approach
- PMID: 32980860
- PMCID: PMC7519858
- DOI: 10.1038/s41409-020-01068-x
Blood and marrow transplantation during the emerging COVID-19 pandemic: the Seattle approach
Abstract
On January 20, 2020, the first patient with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States of America was diagnosed in Washington state, which subsequently experienced rapidly increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. This placed the Seattle Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch) in the national epicenter of this pandemic. Here, we summarize the experience gained during our rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our efforts were aimed at safely performing urgent and potentially life-saving stem cell transplants in the setting of pandemic-related stresses on healthcare resources and shelter-in-place public health measures. We describe the unique circumstances and challenges encountered, the current state of the program amidst evolving COVID-19 cases in our community, and the guiding principles for recovery. We also estimate the collateral impact of directing clinical resources toward COVID-19-related care on cancer patients in need of stem cell transplantation. Although our experience was influenced by specific regional and institutional factors, it may help inform how transplant programs respond to COVID-19 and future pandemics.
Conflict of interest statement
SAP receives research support from Global Life Technologies, Inc., and participates in research trials with Chimerix, Inc and Merck & Co. He also currently participates in a clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U01-AI132004); vaccines for this trial are provided by Sanofi-Aventis. All other coauthors have no relevant competing interests to disclose.
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