COVID-19 boosters now available for some with compromised immune systems

As soon as tomorrow, federal health officials are expected to recommend that most Americans get a COVID-19 booster shot and already people with compromised immune systems have started getting their third shot.

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - As soon as tomorrow, federal health officials are expected to recommend most Americans get a COVID-19 booster shot.

Health officials say the third dose will be recommended eight months after the second shot and could start as soon as next month for those who were first to get the vaccine.

Already people with compromised immune systems have started getting their third shots.

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Jason Volat got his on Monday due to several conditions he has.

"There’s no fear about it. Do I like going and getting another shot? No. But you just do what you have to because the sooner we all can work together and get this over with, the sooner it’s going to be in the past," said Volat. "And right now, it’s just an ongoing situation. there’s a lot of misinformation and a lot of things out there, but I’d rather be on the aggressive side and try to get it over with.

He posted about it on Facebook saying he believes in science. Volat said he did that because he believes talking about it helps combat stigma both about being immunocompromised and getting a booster.

People getting that third dose don’t need a prescription or even a recommendation from a doctor, so Volat said the process was very easy.

As far as boosters for the broader population, the expectation is healthcare and emergency workers and the elderly will get the first shots.

For now this is recommended for those who got Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Health officials say it’s just a matter of time before the additional dose will extend to those who got the Johnson and Johnson shot as studies into that continue.
Dr. Amira Roess, Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology at George Mason University, said boosters may continue.

"It's likely that if the COVID-19 virus becomes endemic if this were to become something that we have to live with on a long-term basis, that it's likely that we will have seasonal--whether it's yearly or every other year with those yet-to-be-decided vaccinations--it is likely that we will have to get these boosters with some frequency. What that frequency looks like I think is still unclear."