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Covid-19: Immunocompromised People May Need Fourth Dose, CDC Says

Some Americans may require a fourth shot of the COVID-19 vaccine if they are immunocompromised, according to new federal guidance.

A subject getting the Novavax vaccine during clinical trials.

A subject getting the Novavax vaccine during clinical trials.

Photo Credit: Novavax/Matt Feldman

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that adults 18 and older who received the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines and are moderately or severely immunocompromised may get a fourth dose at least six months after getting their third shot, the guidance states.

Officials cautioned that Johnson & Johnson recipients “should not receive more than two COVID-19 vaccine doses,” though a second is recommended.

The CDC authorized a third dose for certain immunocompromised people 18 and older in August. It said a third dose was necessary because the immunocompromised may not have had a complete immune response from the first two doses.

For immunocompromised people, the third COVID-19 vaccine shot is classified as an "additional dose" by the CDC, not a booster, and the volume given is the same as that of the first two shots.

The fourth dose would be considered a booster, with the amount given at only half the amount of the first three doses.

An estimated 2.7 percent of adults in the United States are immunocompromised, according to the CDC, including organ transplant recipients, certain cancer patients, and people with HIV.

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