KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Unified Government Public Health Department is now offering third doses of the COVID-19 Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to individuals who are "moderately to severely immunocompromised."
Beginning Wednesday, UGPHD will offer an additional third dose to immunocompromised people who were already fully vaccinated with a Pfizer or Moderna two-dose vaccine. This does not apply to individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson one-dose shot, according to a UGPHD press release.
"There is not enough data at this time to determine if an additional dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine will improve immune response in people who are immunocompromised," the release said.
UGPHD said they are following the authorization from the FDA and the recommendations by the CDC and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment by offering this third dose.
The department also said that offering this third dose to people with compromised immune systems is different from offering "boosters" to any county resident.
The FDA has not authorized booster shots for the general population at this time, and UGPHD asks that people, who are not immunocompromised, not seek out this third dose at this time.
The CDC defines people who are "moderately to severely immunocompromised" as:
- People receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood (hematologic malignancies)
- People who received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- People receiving a stem cell transplant (CAR-T-Cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant) within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- People with moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
- People with an advanced or untreated HIV infection
- People being actively treated with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response (alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, TNF blockers and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory)
UGPHD's vaccine clinic is in the former Kmart building at 7836 State Avenue in Kansas City, KS and is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wyandotte County residents who are eligible for the third dose can come to the clinic with their COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card, and will be asked to sign a form stating that they need a third dose because they are immunocompromised.
