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COVID-19 Booster Shots Now Available for Immunocompromised: Here’s Who’s Eligible

August 17, 2021

Hartford HealthCare has started contacting about 10,000 patients eligible for a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine after Connecticut agreed to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‘s recommendation last week outlining additional protection for people with weakened immune systems.

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized a third dose only for previous recipients of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. If you received a Johnson & Johnson vaccination, you’re not yet eligible.

So who is classified as immunocompromised?

“The definition of immunocompromised is always changing and, unfortunately, a very gray area,” says Dr. Ulysses Wu, Hartford HealthCare’s System Director of Infection Disease and Chief Epidemiologist. “But if you wanted to take the absolute people who may be subject to having a lower immune response to the vaccine because they are ‘immunocompromised,’ it would start with five categories.”

Here are the categories outlined by Hartford HealthCare to its patients:

  • Active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood.
  • Organ transplant recipients taking medicine to suppress the immune system.
  • Stem cell transplant within the last two years or taking medicine to suppress the immune system.
  • Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency, such as DiGeorge syndrome or Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.
  • Advanced or untreated HIV infection.
  • Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response (see a list of these drugs)

Anyone who qualifies under these guidelines and who has not already received a COVID-19 vaccine dose in at least 28 days can request a third dose. (If you’re unsure if you qualify, talk to your healthcare provider.) The third dose must be from the same manufacturer, either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, as the first two. You can make an appointment in MyChartPlus, a website with a companion app. (If you don’t have an account yet, click here.)

Expect some delays in scheduling because of high demand. You can also fill out a form here to request an appointment. When one becomes available, you’ll receive a text from 69330 or an email from info@hhchealth.org. From there, you’ll have 48 hours to schedule an appointment that works best for you.

It’s uncertain if, or when, a third dose will be recommended more widely among the general population. Among the many uncertainties of COVID-19 is how long immunity lasts after being vaccinated. Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, said Monday they have submitted early stage clinical trial results to the FDA as part of an application seeking authorization of a booster shot for the general population.

Studies have shown a third dose can boost antibody response in some, but not all, people. A third dose should make anyone immunocompromised safer, though still at risk of severe illness.

“If you look at the data over the last few weeks, about 40 to 45 percent of the individuals experiencing a breakthrough case are immunocompromised,” says Keith Grant, APRN, Hartford HealthCare’s Senior System Director of Infection Prevention. “We do that that, being immunocompromised, it takes a while for your body to mount the level of antibody reaction that’s necessary.”

It’s important that, if immunocompromised, anyone you’re in regular, close contact with should be vaccinated. You should also follow COVID-19 safety protocols, such as wearing a mask and social distancing, and avoid crowded public spaces.

For more information on COVID-19 booster shots for people with weakened immune systems, click here.