Last week, CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that people whose immune systems are moderately to severely compromised receive an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least four weeks after an initial two-dose mRNA series. See their statement.
ACIP’s recommendation follows FDA’s decision to amend Pfizer-BioNTech’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) in support of this allowance.
The FDA’s recent EUA amendment only applies to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (i.e., Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), as does CDC’s recommendation. According to the CDC, there is not enough data at this time to determine whether immunocompromised people who received Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine also have an improved antibody response following an additional dose of the same vaccine.
These resources can help your providers and your patients understand what this means:
Health Center COVID-19 Survey As soon as possible, we’ll share additional guidance on how this will impact data reporting through the Health Center COVID-19 Survey, including the addendum for Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine Program participants. Please look out for further information in a future BPHC Bulletin and in the Primary Health Care Digest.
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