What is COVID-19?
There are several different types of human coronaviruses circulating around the world, however the majority of them usually don’t cause severe illness. (It’s actually likely that you’ve been exposed to these types of viruses in the past.)
In rare instances, an animal coronavirus, such as COVID-19, can “jump” or evolve to humans and cause more severe illnesses. Other recent examples of animal-to-human transmission includes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
Common symptoms of these infections include fever, cough, shortness of breath , muscle aches , sore throat , and headache . These symptoms can present 2-14 days after virus exposure.
What’s my risk?
Myeloma and its treatments affect how well the immune system responds to infection. This means that people living with myeloma are at a higher risk for infection in general, even when the myeloma is stable or in remission. In fact, all people living with cancer have a higher risk of infection, as well as those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and heart disease.
To learn more, watch the Myeloma Canada webinar on COVID-19 and multiple myeloma.