CDC recommends third vaccine dose for immunocompromised people

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday officially recommended an additional dose of coronavirus vaccines for certain people with compromised immune systems, clearing the way for doses to be administered to a few million Americans as soon as possible.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky signed off on the recommendation for people with moderate to severely compromised immune systems only a few hours after it was unanimously endorsed by the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

In a statement, Walensky said the recommendation is “an important step in ensuring everyone, including those most vulnerable to COVID-19, can get as much protection as possible from COVID-19 vaccination.”

“At a time when the Delta variant is surging, an additional vaccine dose for some people with weakened immune systems could help prevent serious and possibly life-threatening COVID-19 cases within this population,” Walensky added.

Narrow list: The CDC’s definition of immunocompromised is pretty narrow. It includes people undergoing treatment for solid tumors or blood cancers; organ transplant patients, including those who have gotten a stem cell transplant within the last two years; and people with advanced or untreated HIV.

Not a booster: The additional doses are not considered boosters, because they are considered part of the primary vaccine series.

Neither the CDC nor FDA recommend booster doses for the general population, though some people have been taking matters into their own hands to get extra doses.

More than 1 million people in the U.S. have received unauthorized booster shots of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, the CDC said. About 90,000 people have received an additional dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Honor system:  There is no requirement for people to show proof that they meet the definition. Patients will only need to attest to pharmacists that they fall into one of the specific categories.