What does booster OK mean for state?
Immunocompromised can get a 3rd shot after FDA, CDC approval. Here’s what Connecticut residents need to know.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday officially recommended COVID19 vaccine booster shots for people with weakened immune systems, following authorization Thursday from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“The country has entered yet another wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the FDA is especially cognizant that immunocompromised people are particularly at risk for severe disease,” acting FDA commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said in a statement Thursday. “Today’s action allows doctors to boost immunity in certain immunocompromised individuals who need extra protection from COVID-19.”
Here is what that news means for Connecticut residents.
Who is eligible for a booster shot?
The new FDA authorization applies specifically to people who have had organ transplants or whose immune systems are similarly compromised, and who received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.
Research suggests immuno
compromised people receive less protection from COVID-19 vaccines, leaving them vulnerable to the disease even after two doses.
The CDC on Friday said booster shots are for people with “moderate to severe immunosuppression” and that patients and their doctors will need to decide on a case-by-case by case basis who qualifies.
Immunocompromised people who received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine are not yet eligible for an extra dose.
How many people does this apply to?
This group is believed to account for about 3% of the United States population, including more than 100,000 Connecticut residents.
That includes people like Kayle Hill, a 24-year-old Waterbury native with rheumatoid arthritis and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, who said Friday that a third dose would help her feel safer going about her life.
“It would give me more confidence,” Hill said. “The way everything is going, I don’t think there’s any magic thing that will make me feel completely comfortable living my life as I did before COVID, but having a third dose would definitely make all the difference in terms of my anxiety levels doing things like going grocery shopping or going to my doctor’s office.”
How will providers in the state distribute booster shots?
Following clearance from the FDA and CDC, health providers in Connecticut say they are finalizing plans to roll out third doses for immunocompromised patients.
Dr. Jim Cardon, chief clinical integration officer at Hartford HealthCare, said there is no shortage of vaccine doses or sites to administer them. He said the health system will likely rely on an honor system to determine who is eligible for a third dose.
“I don’t think we’re going to ask everybody to present their scars from a transplant,” Cardon said. “It’s trusting that the people showing up qualify, whether that’s with a note from a doctor or just that they fit in a category.”
A spokesperson for Yale New Haven Health said the health system could not yet share plans for distributing third doses. A spokesperson for Trinity Health of New England said the system was “currently developing plans for distribution” and is “unable to share the specifics at this time.”
Max Reiss, a spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont, said the state has ample vaccine supply and that immunocompromised residents should speak to their doctors about getting a third vaccine dose.
“It’s really between health care providers and their patients,” Reiss said. “We’re urging people to consult with their medical providers regarding those boosters.”
A spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Public Health said the agency will wait for specific clinical guidelines before putting out public guidance.
Will other groups also be authorized for booster shots?
As of now, the FDA has authorized third doses only for people with compromised immune systems, but that could change in the future, pending future research. Israel, for example, has offered booster shots to anyone over 50 years old, as well as all health workers.
Cardon said he suspects older Americans will eventually be cleared for booster shots as well. This could be particularly noteworthy in Connecticut, which as of 2018 ranked as the state with the sixth highest median age.
“It won’t surprise me that we end up with a broader booster campaign,” Cardon said. “It won’t surprise me that we end up with — call it 65 and older going forward. We’ll see how that plays out.”