02/24/2022

Fourth Vaccine Dose for Immunocompromised

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) updated COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for moderately or severely immunocompromised people on February 19. People ages 12 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should receive a total of 4 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.  The 4 doses are made up of a primary series of 3 doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, plus 1 booster of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (4th dose). People ages 18 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised and received the 1 dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine should get a second dose of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA COVID-19 vaccines). They should also receive a booster—for a total of 3 doses.

Many conditions and treatments can cause a person to be immunocompromised, also known as having a weakened immune system. People are considered to be moderately or severely immunocompromised if they 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 2 years or are taking medicine 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 their immune response

LeadingAge Ohio encourages facilities to identify and track individuals who are moderately or severely immunocompromised to ensure the individual is educated and offered the current vaccine recommendations.