Guidance on COVID-19 Booster Shots 8/18/21

At this time, most people do not qualify for a third COVID-19 shot.

Recently the Biden Administration unveiled a plan for wider availability of a third COVID-19 vaccine regimen and the FDA updated the emergency use authorizations for both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for a narrow set of immunocompromised people.

While the administration now recommends a booster shot for all people who received Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines eight months after their initial dose, this recommendation is pending FDA approval. As the guidance changes, Howard Brown will keep our patients updated.

If you are fully vaccinated and not immunocompromised, you still have a high degree of protection from severe COVID-19 symptoms.

About the FDA Authorization for Immunocompromised People

Last week’s FDA authorization for a COVID-19 booster shot applies to a small population of immunocompromised people, specifically solid organ transplant recipients or those diagnosed with conditions with an equivalent level of immunosuppression.

Most people living with HIV do not qualify under current CDC guidance. If you are living with HIV, adhering to your treatment plan, and have undetectable viral loads along with CD4 counts greater than 200, you are not considered immunocompromised for purposes of a vaccine booster shot, under this FDA guidance. Individuals maybe be considered immunocompromised if they:

• Have active or recent treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
• Received solid-organ or recent hematopoietic stem cell transplants
• Have severe primary immunodeficiency
• Have advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Have been diagnosed with asplenia, chronic renal disease, or other chronic condition associated with varying degrees of immune deficiency

If you have any questions about living with HIV and this new guidance, please call us for more information.

The White House’s Recent Announcement Regarding COVID-19 Booster Shots

At this time, Howard Brown is not scheduling third dose/booster appointments for individuals with a responsive immune system. Howard Brown is required to follow guidance from the CDC and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), which have not yet approved booster shots. As further guidance is released by CDC and CDPH, we will share that information with our patients and community.