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The use of ACE-inhibitors/ARBs, statins, and the combination of both were all associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer recurrence. This observation should prompt further exploration.

New York State had 180,458 cases of SARS-CoV-2 and 9385 reported deaths as of April 10th, 2020. Patients with cancer comprised 8.4% of deceased individuals1. Population-based studies from China and Italy suggested a higher COVID-19 death rate in patients with cancer2,3, although there is a knowledge gap as to which aspects of cancer and its treatment confer risk of severe COVID-19 disease4. This information is critical to balance the competing safety considerations of reducing SARS-CoV-2 exposure and cancer treatment continuation. Since March 10th, 2020 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center performed diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 in symptomatic patients. Overall, 40% out of 423 patients with cancer were hospitalized for COVID-19 illness, 20% developed severe respiratory illness, including 9% that required mechanical ventilation, and 9% that died. On multivariate analysis, age ≥ 65 years and treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) within 90 days were predictors for hospitalization and severe disease, while receipt of chemotherapy within 30 days and major surgery were not. Overall, COVID-19 illness is associated with higher rates of hospitalization and severe outcomes in patients with cancer. Association between ICI and COVID-19 outcomes will need interrogation in tumor-specific cohorts.

We used a self-reporting system to compare symptom frequency of hospital personnel with coronavirus disease 2019 before and after the emergence of the Omicron variant. Omicron was more likely to result in asymptomatic carriage (7% vs 12%; P = .009), and fewer symptoms were observed in those with booster vaccination.

Background There is limited information on the risk of hospital-acquired COVID-19 among high-risk hospitalized patients after exposure to an infected patient or healthcare worker (HCW) in a non-outbreak setting. Methods This study was conducted at a tertiary care cancer center in New York City from March 10, 2020, until February 28, 2021. In early April 2020, the study institution implemented universal SARS-CoV-2 testing at admission and retesting every three days through the hospital stay. Contact tracing records were reviewed for all exposures to SARS-CoV-2 positive patients and HCWs. Results From March 10, 2020, to February 28, 2021, 11,348 unique patients who were SARS-CoV-2 PCR negative at the time of admission underwent 31,662 post-admission tests during their hospitalization, and 112 tested positive (0.98%). Among these, 49 patients housed in semi-private rooms during admission resulted in 74 close contacts and 14 secondary infections within 14 days, for an overall attack rate of 18.9%. Among those exposed to a roommate undergoing an aerosol-generating procedure (AGP), the attack rate was 35.7%. WGS corroborated transmission in 6/8 evaluated pairs. In addition, three transmission events occurred in 214 patients with significant exposure to 105 COVID-19 positive healthcare workers (1.4%). Conclusion The overall risk of hospital-acquired COVID-19 is low for hospitalized cancer patients, even during periods of high community prevalence. However, shared occupancy with an unrecognized case is associated with a high secondary attack rate in exposed roommates.