Third Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine is Available to Immunocompromised People

On August 13, 2021, the CDC recommended that moderately or severely immunocompromised individuals receive a third dose of mRNA vaccine 28 days after the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

Moderately or severely immunocompromised individuals are eligible. This includes people who have:

• 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

Appointments are recommended; however, walk-in services are also available. Patients do not need to bring proof of meeting the criteria for the third dose. Individuals will need to sign an attestation form indicating they are moderately or severely immunocompromised.

If you are eligible, click here to find a vaccination site near you.

For an updated list or for more information on the decision to recommend a third dose of mRNA vaccine to moderately or severely immunocompromised individuals, please visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/immuno.html.

This recommendation only applies to mRNA vaccines, and does not include immunocompromised people who received the J&J/Janssen vaccine.

Booster shots for other individuals who received mRNA vaccine are expected to be available in late September.