Courtesy Darlynn Williams, PR County Public Health Nurse
There has been a lot of information in the media recently about extra doses of COVID vaccinations. Here is some information to help clear things up. Booster doses and 3rd doses do not have the same purpose. Most people use these terms interchangeably but shouldn’t.
Let’s start with the 3rd dose recommendation. This is an additional dose for persons in whom the immune response may have been suppressed following the first two doses. A 3rd dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine should be considered for persons who are moderately to severely immunocompromised and have received their second dose of vaccine at least 28 days prior.
Persons considered immunocompromised are those with certain medical conditions or people receiving treatments that are associated with moderate to severe immune compromise. Some examples are active or recent treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies, receipt of solid-organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy, receipt of CAR-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 2 years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy), active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids (i.e., ≥ 20 mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blockers, and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory. If you have questions about your condition, consult with your physician or provider.
Next is the Booster dose. This is expected to be authorized in mid-late September. The booster dose will be available for those who have received 2 doses of mRNA vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer) and a period of at least 8 months has elapsed since the administration of dose 2.
According to a statement released by the CDC “The COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States continue to be remarkably effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even against the widely circulating Delta variant. Recognizing that many vaccines are associated with a reduction in protection over time, and acknowledging that additional vaccine doses could be needed to provide long lasting protection, we have been analyzing the scientific data closely from the United States and around the world to understand how long this protection will last and how we might maximize this protection. The available data make very clear that protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination, and in association with the dominance of the Delta variant, we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease. Based on our latest assessment, the current protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death could diminish in the months ahead, especially among those who are at higher risk or were vaccinated during the earlier phases of the vaccination rollout. For that reason, we conclude that a booster shot will be needed to maximize vaccine-induced protection and prolong its durability.” A recommendation for a booster dose for those who received Johnson & Johnson vaccine is also expected at a later date.
Public Health continues to urge COVID vaccinations in all individuals age 12+ who are eligible for vaccine to reduce the risk of infection, serious illness or death, as well as reduce transmission to others, many of whom may be at increased risk. Nearly all the cases of severe disease, hospitalization, and death continue to occur among those not yet vaccinated.
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