Te Aho o Te Kahu, the Cancer Control Agency, released the first COVID and cancer services report.
In summary:
- Overall, cancer treatment services continued during the COVID-19 nationwide lockdown in August 2021. There was some disruption to diagnostic procedures and a provisional decrease in the number of cancer registrations in August.
- The impact of the August lockdown on the trend for the year to date appears to be minimal, but caution is needed as disruptions to services may not be fully seen in the timeframe of this report.
- To date, the extent of disruptions to cancer services appears to be less for Māori than non-Māori.
- Te Aho o Te Kahu will continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on cancer services, with the next report released in November 2021.
Cancer Society Medical Director Kate Gregory says, “We are pleased to see that cancer treatment continued largely uninterrupted through August’s COVID-19 nationwide lockdown. We encourage everyone to seek medical help if they experience any potential signs or symptoms of cancer. Any cancer patient or whānau member who has not received a COVID-19 vaccination should get one as soon as possible.”
You can download the full report here.