The FDA has just authorized an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine for certain people who have a compromised immune system. This approval is due to the mounting data showing that for these immune compromised individuals, the first complete series of vaccines do not provide a high enough antibody response and a third dose has been shown to increase this antibody response.

Those who have received an organ transplant or diagnosed with a similar level of compromised immunity are authorized to get an additional dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.

Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. said this newest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has put a small, yet vulnerable group of people at greater risk.

“Today’s action allows doctors to boost immunity in certain immunocompromised individuals who need extra protection from COVID-19,” Woodcock said in a statement issued Aug. 12 by the FDA.

“People who are fully vaccinated are protected from severe disease and death, including from the variants currently circulating in the country, such as Delta,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC wrote in a statement. “People who are not vaccinated remain at risk. Virtually all COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are among those who are unvaccinated.”

Fully vaccinated individuals with the following conditions should schedule appointments for booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine:
 

• History of Solid Organ Transplant
• History of Bone Marrow or Stem Cell Transplant
• Current Cancer or on Chemotherapy
• HIV
• Chronic Steroid Use for 1 Month of More
• Use of Immune Modulating Therapies Such as Rituximab
• Kidney Disease Requiring Dialysis
• Presence of Cirrhosis
• Inherited or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes link

Criteria for scheduling and vaccination may change as more information comes out.

Stop the spread

The rise of Delta and other variants makes it crucial to get fully vaccinated. AltaMed has free vaccine events for anyone 12 years old and up. You can also contact us at (888) 499-9303 if you need a COVID-19 booster shot.

In the meantime, regardless of your vaccination status:

• You need to follow local and state safety guidelines.
• Wear a face mask when indoors or in crowds to protect yourself and others.
• Maintain hand hygiene — use hand sanitizer to clean hands frequently, and wash hands for 20 seconds at a time.
• Practice physical distancing — stay six feet apart from others whether inside or outside.
• Wipe down any surfaces you touch.