Wisconsin to offer additional COVID-19 vaccine dose to immunocompromised

KSTP
In this Dec. 15, 2020, file photo, a droplet falls from a syringe after a health care worker was injected with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a hospital in Providence, R.I.[David Goldman/Associated Press/File]

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) said Wednesday that it supports the recommendation that some immunocompromised people are recommended and eligible to get an additional dose of the Pfizer (ages 12 and up) or Moderna (ages 18 and up) COVID-19 vaccine following a completed series.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the additional dose for certain immunocompromised people on Thursday. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously to recommend an additional dose for individuals with specific medical conditions or receiving treatments associated with moderate to severe immune compromise.

This includes people who 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 two years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.
  • Moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome).
  • Advanced or untreated HIV infection.
  • Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids, alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blockers, or other drugs that may suppress your immune response.

The additional dose of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine should be administered at least 28 days after completing the primary COVID-19 vaccine series.

According to the DHS, ACIP recommends that patients receive the same vaccine product as the first two doses. However, if that is not feasible, a dose of the other mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is permitted.

Fully vaccinated people who are not moderately or severely immunocompromised don’t need an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose at this time.

For more information about the additional dose, click here.