Berkeley Public Health Recommends Third Dose Of Covid-19 Vaccine For Individuals With Moderately To Severely Compromised Immune Systems

Press release from City of Berkeley:

Friday, August 20, 2021

Berkeley, California (Friday, August 20, 2021) - The City of Berkeley recommends that people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems receive an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least 28 days after a second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.

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 two years or are taking medication 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

This is in alignment with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and the Western States Scientific Safety Review (WSSSR). This recommendation and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) only applies to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. There is not enough data at this time to determine whether immunocompromised individuals who received Johnson and Johnson's (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine would also benefit from an additional dose of vaccine.

Additional doses for Berkeley residents

Links

• City of Berkeley Vaccination Page
• MyTurn vaccination site
• Vaccines (covid.ca.gov)
• Vaccines for COVID-19 (CDC)
• FDA information on Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccines
• Q&A: Additional COVID-19 Vaccine Doses for Immunocompromised People (California Department of Public Health)

This press release was produced by City of Berkeley. The views expressed here are the author’s own.