Some immunocompromised people can now receive a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine, an effort to give more protection to those at risk for severe illness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, and an additional dose of mRNA vaccine can help ensure they have enough protection.
The CDC recommends a booster shot to those with compromised immune systems at least 28 days after getting the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or the Moderna vaccine.
So who qualifies for that additional dose? According to the CDC, the booster is recommended for people who have:
- Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
- Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
- Advanced or untreated HIV infection
- Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response
People who are moderately to severely immunocompromised make up about 3% of the adult population, according to the CDC.
A person should not receive more than three mRNA vaccine doses, the agency said.
The approval of a booster shot only applies to the Pfizer and Moderna shots. The CDC said there is not currently enough data to determine whether immunocompromised people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine also have an improved antibody response after an additional dose of the same vaccine.
The booster shots can commence as the country tracks breakthrough cases of COVID-19 in fully immunized people. In Massachusetts, vaccinated people have accounted for 0.23% of COVID cases since vaccination began, up from 0.18% the week before. They represented 0.01% of hospitalizations.
State health officials reported Friday that 12,329 more vaccine doses have been issued. Using updated U.S. Census figures for Massachusetts, about 63% (4.4 million) of the state’s population is fully vaccinated with 66% having received at least one dose.
Related Content:
