For immunocompromised people who received a single shot of the coronavirus vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson, the C.D.C. Although they do not recommend additional primary doses, the C.D.C. recommends that people who have received a single shot of the coronavirus vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson get a booster shot with the Moderna or Pfizer BioNTech vaccines two to three months later.
Some people are born with an impaired or defective immune system. Others have treatments that reduce the immune defenses. According to the C.D.C. According to the C.D.C., there are seven million people in the country who are immunocompromised.
Many of them produce very few or no antibodies to an infection or vaccine, making them vulnerable to the virus. They may develop a long-term illness if they are infected. Death rates can reach as high as 55%.
It is not clear how many of these people are protected by additional doses. Despite this, some people with immunocompromised bodies sought out the fourth and fifth shots of the vaccines, even though the Omicron variant was on the rise in the country. This was even before the C.D.C. The guidelines were changed. Experts warn that multiple vaccines given in a short time period are unlikely to be harmful. However, it could lead to diminishing returns.
C.D.C. has said that any American 12 and older can receive a Pfizer-BioNTech booster — those 18 and older can alternatively receive a Moderna booster — five months after completing their initial shots with those vaccines. Israel has already started offering fourth doses of vaccines to high-risk individuals, including older adults. However, the Biden administration is yet to confirm whether it plans on following suit.
When Dr. Rochelle Walsky, director at the C.D.C. was asked about the possibility that there might be a fourth shot, she said that the main focus would remain on Americans who are eligible to receive their third shot.
She said that U.S. officials were still in close contact with Israel experts regarding their data. “We will be following our own data carefully as well, to see how these boosters are working in terms of waning effectiveness, not just for infection but, importantly, for severe disease,” she said.
Source: NY Times
