Who qualifies for a coronavirus booster shot? Why it’s still unclear. – National Geographic
While people with immune-compromising conditions rejoice over the FDA decision, may questions remain unanswered.
“Finally!” exclaimed Margaret Collins, a 43-year-old geologist from Fort Worth, Texas, in response to the news that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the use of booster vaccine doses for some people with weakened immune systems.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines normally require two doses to elicit full immunity. But this week the FDA updated its authorization for both shots based on mounting evidence that a third dose could significantly increase protection for certain immunocompromised people, who have been showing a decreased response to these vaccines.
Collins had received both doses of the Moderna vaccine but recently learned that she has virtually no antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. She tried to get a third dose at a local pharmacy, but the pharmacist told her they couldn’t administer it under the original FDA authorization. After hearing about the revised authorization late Thursday night, she immediately made an appointment for Friday.
“FDA authorization of a booster for immunocompromised people is wonderful news for the millions of immunocompromised people in the United States who have spent the last several months knowing that they had a suboptimal response to the vaccine and desperately waiting for some opportunity to improve their immune response,” says Dorry Segev, a transplant surgeon and researcher at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Segev published the earliest studies on vaccine-induced immune response in transplant recipients.
After initially calling for a moratorium on all COVID-19 booster shots until more people across the world had gotten vaccinated, the World Health Organization clarified its guidance a week later regarding when boosters might be justified, including inadequate protection in certain risk groups. For those who lack fully functioning immune systems, such as transplant recipients, a booster shot might mean the difference between remaining bunkered down at home and being able to venture a bit more into the world again. Read More…
