Everett E. Vokes, MD, FASCO
“In many areas of the United States, the health-care system is facing critical workforce shortages. ASCO encourages public health officials and health-care facilities to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for managing health-care personnel with SARS–CoV-2 infection or exposure to SARS–CoV-2. These guidelines allow for different levels of restrictions on staffing based on the level of shortages being experienced. However, in making these decisions, ASCO strongly encourages institutions and public health agencies to recognize the greater risk of infection and adverse outcomes that immune-suppressed individuals, including many patients with cancer, face from SARS–CoV-2 and to make decisions about staffing for the care of those individuals with thoughtful consideration of that greater risk. Unless no alternative exists, COVID-19–positive health workers, even if asymptomatic, should not be assigned to care for patients with cancer.
“As the nation continues to respond to the pandemic, ASCO is committed to providing the most current information and resources to its members and the larger oncology community to help ensure that individuals with cancer receive high-quality care.”
© 2022. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
