COVID vaccine trial for people with blood cancers aims to determine efficacy

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is launching and COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial to study the effect of the shots on people with blood cancers.

The group said through previous reports, they have found blood cancer patients have poorer outcomes from COVID infection, and so far many COVID vaccine trials have not included blood cancer patients. That means it's not known how well the vaccine works on people with blood cancer.

Alan Sporn, 75, of Flossmoor recently died from COVID, which he contracted more than two weeks after his second dose of COVID vaccine.

RELATED: Fully-vaccinated Flossmoor man, 75, dies from virus a month after 2nd vaccine dose

A 75-year-old grandfather of four died from COVID-19 a month after receiving his second vaccine shot in what's being called a "breakthrough" case.

Relatives said Sporn had chronic lymphocytic leukemia and before his death, a test showed he had little or no COVID antibodies.

LLS said about 6,000 people with blood cancers have signed up for the clinical trial so far and they're looking for more volunteers.

For more information about the study and to sign up to participate if you have blood cancer, you can visit the LLS website and the government's registry of clinical trials.