‘This is very encouraging for cancer patients’; El Paso doctor explains what new CDC vaccine guidelines mean for those fighting cancer

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated guidelines on who can receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Individuals with weakened immune systems were included among the new list of who the agency said could receive a vaccine.

ABC-7 at Noon spoke with Dr. Karinn Chambers, the Medical Director of the Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso Breast Care Center, to find out what the new guidelines mean for patients battling cancer.

"I think that this is very encouraging for cancer patients," Dr. Chambers said. She added that those with weakened immune systems can be at higher risk for complications from coronavirus.

Dr. Chambers also recommended that patients undergoing cancer treatments speak with their doctors before getting the vaccine.

You can watch the full interview in the media module above.