COVID-19 Vaccine - Additional Doses
Individuals who qualify for a third dose of vaccine should first
contact their healthcare provider to get vaccinated. Columbus Public Health offers same day, walk-in vaccines from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Monday-Friday at Columbus Public Health (240 Parsons Ave.) No appointment
needed. See the CDC guidance here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/immuno.html.
On August
12, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued updated Emergency Use
Authorizations (EUA) for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer only) with
new
guidance on third doses for significantly immunocompromised patients.
- The FDA defined the population covered by this
guidance as those age 12 and older who have undergone a solid organ
transplant or “who are diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have an
equivalent level of immunocompromise.”
- An eligible individual should receive a third
dose of the same vaccine that they previously received. (An alternate
mRNA vaccine for a third dose should be used only if the type of vaccine they
received previously is not available.)
- An eligible individual should receive a third
dose of the vaccine at least 28 days after receiving the second dose of the
vaccine.
- Please note: As of this time, the FDA has
not released similar guidance for an additional dose for the
J&J/Janssen vaccine. In addition, the J&J EUA has not been updated to
allow a patient who has received the J&J vaccine to receive additional
doses of mRNA vaccine.
Our
interpretation of clinical conditions covered by this guidance include:
- Patients who have previously undergone a solid
organ transplant (heart, kidney, liver, lung, pancreas) at any time in the past
- Patients who have previously undergone a bone
marrow transplant (both autologous and allogeneic) at any time in the past
- Patients who have been diagnosed with cancer in
the last 5 years or who have undergone cancer treatment in the last 5 years
- Patients with advanced or untreated HIV/AIDS
- Patients with primary immunodeficiency
- Patients receiving IVIG, a biologic or other
immunosuppressive medication (e.g., mycophenolate)
- Patients receiving >20mg of Prednisone per
day for longer than 14 days
At this time
we do
not consider patients with the following conditions
eligible for a third dose or covered by this guidance:
- Cancer patients with a past history of
chemotherapy or radiation treatment that was completed over five years ago
- Diabetes (insulin dependent and non-insulin
dependent)
- Elderly/older patients without a qualifying
immunocompromising medical condition
For updated
copies of the FDA EUA documents for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, please
see: