6 Things To Know If You're Immunocompromised And Considering A 3rd Shot

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/08/14/ [login to see] /6-things-to-know-if-youre-immunocompromised-and-considering-a-3rd-shot
People with compromised immune systems who already got two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines can now get a third shot to boost their protection from COVID-19.

This week's decision by federal health agencies is welcome news to many patients and their doctors who have been calling for this for months.

"I'm really excited," says Pat Beale, 59, of Boise, Idaho, who lives with a liver transplant and takes medicine that suppresses his immune system. He plans to get his third dose within the next week.

Data show that many immunocompromised patients, such as organ transplant recipients and others on immune-suppressing medications, have had weak responses to the initial doses of the vaccine.

For Dr. Marc Boom, who runs Houston Methodist Hospital, the authorization for third shots couldn't have come soon enough for patients in his hospital's large transplant program.

"We are immediately pulling in those people, getting them the doses," Boom says. He applauds the FDA's decision, but says the agency could have acted faster, noting that countries like Israel, France and the U.K. have already made this move.