Third dose of COVID-19 vaccine recommended for certain immunocompromised individuals

Third dose for the immunocompromised

OLYMPIA – Health care providers can now offer third doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to certain immunocompromised individuals following recommendations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices (ACIP), and Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup.

While authorized vaccines have proven to be more than 90% effective in protecting against most variants, emerging data suggest people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems do not always build the same level of immunity compared to people who are not immunocompromised. 

The third dose is not considered a booster, rather an additional dose for individuals who did not adequately develop immunities with the initial two-dose series. 

A full list of conditions from the CDC’s website lists the following:

• 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 should talk to their healthcare provider about their medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them.

A person receiving a third dose should get it at least 28 days after dose two. When possible, the individual should receive the same vaccine as the first two doses, but may receive the other mRNA vaccine brand if the other vaccine is not available. 

At this time, no additional dose is recommended for people who had the Johnson / Johnson (Janssen) vaccine. People who received J/J should not get a second dose of either J/J or a dose of an mRNA vaccine. 

Additionally, people with competent immune systems should not receive a third dose.