August 19, 2021

THIRD DOSES AVAILABLE FOR IMMUNOCOMPROMISED

ALBANY, GA-Southwest Public Health District on Friday will begin taking appointments and administering third doses of the Covid vaccine to those immunocompromised individuals meeting the qualifications below. The third doses will be available at all health departments in the district.

            This third dose is intended to move immunosuppressed patients to a fully vaccinated state for the first time. Whereas the booster shot, which will be made available late September, is for those once fully vaccinated but with waning immunity, and at least eight months out from their last Covid vaccine.

            The additional vaccine dose should be considered for people with moderate to severe immune compromise due to a medical condition, or receipt of immunosuppressive medications or treatments. This includes people who have:

• Active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
• Receipt of a solid-organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy
• Receipt of CAR-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 2 years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy)
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids (≥20mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blockers, and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory

            Individuals qualified for the third shot can provide documentation from their physician OR self-attest to one of the medical conditions above by signing a consent form.

            To schedule a third dose vaccine appointment, call your local health department.