THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN CHILDREN WITH CANCER: A REPORT FROM
SAUDI ARABIA
Abstract
Background: On January 2020, the WHO declared the novel coronavirus
(2019-nCoV) outbreak as a public health emergency of international
concern. Due to rapid spread 2019-nCoV, all countries started preventive
and precautionary measures to prevent COVID-19 infection spread. These
measures limited the population mobility and services provided, which
subsequently Impact of on children with cancer and cancer care delivery
in the many health centers in Saudi Arabia. Procedure: We did a cross
sectional study to assess the impact on this outbreak on children with
cancer with regard to all aspects of life including medical services
provided, the specific precautions to prevent spread in cancer patients,
mental, psychological effect and its affection on quality of life.
Results: We collected 204 responses during a survey which assessed the
impact on the treatment of cancer children at a tertiary institution
during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of patients were receiving
ongoing chemotherapy for leukemia/lymphoma. The majority of these
patients (60.5%) reported a delay in treatment received due to hospital
cancellation. Although, the majority of patients in our cohort
complained of delayed treatment, fortunately none of the delays led to
fatalities. In the context of global lockdowns and physical distancing
to help flatten the COVID-19 curve, telemedicine has proved fundamental
to keeping patients and their healthcare providers connected and safe.
Children also faced multiple other difficulties such as psychosocial
issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Our long-term goals are
to develop new programs which will enable children with cancer to emerge
successfully during a pandemic.