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US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky endorsed on Friday the use of a third dose of coronavirus vaccine in immunocompromised people.
Walensky signed off on recommendations the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices approved just hours before.
“This official CDC recommendation — which follows FDA’s decision to amend the emergency use authorizations of the vaccines — is an important step in ensuring everyone, including those most vulnerable to COVID-19, can get as much protection as possible from COVID-19 vaccination,” Walensky said in a statement.
“Emerging data suggest some people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems do not always build the same level of immunity compared to people who are not immunocompromised. In addition, in small studies, fully vaccinated immunocompromised people have accounted for a large proportion of hospitalized breakthrough cases (40-44%). Immunocompromised people who are infected with SARS CoV-2 are also more likely to transmit the virus to household contacts,” Walensky added.
“While people who are immunocompromised make up about 3% of the U.S. adult population, they are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 because they are more at risk of serious, prolonged illness. Included in CDC’s recommendation are people with a range of conditions, such as recipients of organ or stem cell transplants, people with advanced or untreated HIV infection, active recipients of treatment for cancer, people who are taking some medications that weaken the immune system, and others,” she said.
“A full list of conditions can be found on CDC’s website.”
The recommendation applies to mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. The US Food and Drug Administration and the CDC said there is not yet enough information to support any recommendation regarding Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.
“While vaccination is likely to increase protection in this population, even after vaccination, people who are immunocompromised should continue follow current prevention measures (including wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others they do not live with, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces) to protect themselves and those around them against COVID-19 until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider,” Walensky said.
“CDC does not recommend additional doses or booster shots for any other population at this time,” she added.
“At a time when the Delta variant is surging, an additional vaccine dose for some people with weakened immune systems could help prevent serious and possibly life-threatening COVID-19 cases within this population.”