Third dose offered to the immunocompromised

FDA approves booster shot for those with weakened immune systems; not applicable for J&J vaccine takers

Santa Clara County is now offering a third dose of coronavirus vaccines to people who are immunocompromised following approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, officials said Saturday.

Eligible people — a tailored list including transplant recipients, cancer patients and select other conditions — may schedule thirddose appointments through the county’s COVID-19 vaccination website or contact their health care provider.

Approval for the extra shot arrived late last week from the FDA, but only extends to certain people with moderately to severely weakened immune systems, such as those who have had a solid organ transplant.

It also does not apply to those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The shot will be matched to whichever series — Pfizer or Moderna — the patient initially received. The two-dose regimen must have been completed at least 28 days before the third.

“We have vulnerable immunocompromised populations who are again at risk because of the rapid spread and high transmissibility of the delta variant,” said Jennifer Tong, associate chief medical officer for the county’s Valley Medical Center system, in a statement. “For those, a third dose of vaccine offers a substantial additional layer of protection from infection and serious illness.”

The doses were available at all mass vaccination sites starting Aug. 14, the county said, with mobile clinics to follow starting mid-next week.

Immunocompromised people are more likely to be develop COVID-19 and to become more severely ill, according to the U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After studying the potential of a third Pfizer or Moderna shot to help increase protection in the population, the FDA extended the emergency use authorization for the vaccines for that purpose.

Non-immunocompromised people do not need a third shot, but the agency is “actively engaged” in determining whether that could change in the future, Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said late last week.