“People who are immunocompromised should be told that they can reduce their immune response to COVID-19 vaccines and follow current prevention measures (including wearing a mask, maintaining a distance of 1.5 meters from others they do not live with, and avoiding crowded and poorly ventilated indoor areas) to protect themselves of COVID-19 until the healthcare provider is notified otherwise.”
The CDC did not go so far as to tell millions of immunocompromised people in the United States to get an extra dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, noting that “the safety, efficacy, and benefit of additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines in people with immunodeficiency does not It is still being evaluated.”
“The CDC is reviewing ongoing research into the potential for immunodeficiency to benefit from an additional dose,” a federal official told CNN.
Some immunocompromised people were given extra doses of the vaccine themselves, and a study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggested last month that an extra dose could help raise Covid-19 antibody levels for some transplant recipients who didn’t fully respond to the original vaccines.
On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor, pointed to the fact that some people are ahead of official recommendations, noting that there are individual doctors who are “now saying, ‘I want to go one step further with someone who may have a lowered level of immunity. ”
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said data suggests that the response to the vaccine may decline for several groups, including organ transplant recipients, people receiving chemotherapy for cancer, people with some types of leukemia, and people on dialysis or They are taking some medications that prevent it. immune system.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is scheduled to discuss additional doses for immunocompromised individuals at its July 22 meeting.
Michael Needleman contributed to this report.
