On Aug. 12, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended its emergency use authorizations for both the Pfizer (12 years and up) and Moderna (18 years and up) COVID-19 vaccines, and on Aug. 13, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended allowing an additional dose for immunocompromised individuals.
With communities under threat from the Delta variant, these actions allow certain immunocompromised individuals to receive an additional mRNA vaccine dose to further protect against this highly contagious strain of the virus. For more details on this guidance, please see below:
- This authorization only applies to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
- Immunocompromised individuals who choose to receive an additional dose are recommended to choose the same brand of the vaccine they originally received.
- Until more data is available, the additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine should be administered at least 28 days after completion of the primary mRNA COVID-19 vaccine series.
- For those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, currently there is not data to support the use of an additional mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose after a primary J&J COVID-19 vaccine in immunocompromised people. The FDA and CDC are actively working to provide guidance on this issue.
- At this time, all other individuals who are fully vaccinated have not been recommended to receive an additional dose.
With many of our patients considered to be immunocompromised – and at greater risk of serious illness due to COVID-19 – Texas Children’s began administering additional doses today.
If you feel you meet this new guidance for receiving an additional dose, and would like to schedule an appointment through Texas Children’s, you may do so now by clicking here. Please be sure to bring your vaccine card to your appointment.
For questions related to this new guidance, please contact our Vaccine Employee Support line at 832-VACCINE (832-822-2463).