Third dose of COVID-19 vaccine now available for some

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On August 18, 2021

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Following recent announcements from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, certain immunocompromised individuals can begin receiving third doses of COVID-19 vaccine in Missouri. These are also referred to as “booster” shots because they boost the individual’s protection from COVID-19.

A third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines may be administered to individuals considered “moderately to severely immunocompromised” due to a medical condition or combination of immunosuppressive medication or treatments, including:

  • Immunocompromised due to solid organ transplant and taking immune suppressing medications
  • Immunocompromised due to active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
  • Immune compromised due to receipt of CAR-T cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within two years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy)
  • Moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge, Wiskott-Aldrich Syndromes)
  • Immunocompromised due to ddvanced or untreated HIV infection
  • Immunocompromised due to “Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress immune response: high dose corticosteroids (ie.,≥ 20 mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blocker or other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory.”

Individuals who do not meet the criteria for “moderately to severely immunocompromised” do not need a third dose at this time.

In line with federal guidelines, individuals will not be required to provide documentation of their health status, and they can get third doses at all venues where first and second doses are available.

This guidance does not apply to those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. For people who received either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine series, a third dose of the same vaccine should be used. A person should not receive more than three vaccine doses at this time. Individuals should wait at least 28 days between their second and third doses.

For details on upcoming clinics and vaccine sites in the Rolla area, visit coronavirus.mst.edu/vaccinations.

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On August 18, 2021. Posted in Announcements, Coronavirus