HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.23.21 For Immediate Release_ COVID-19 Booster Doses Now Available for Immunocompromised Persons, Pfizer Receives Full FDA Approval_Redacted
From:Almaguer, Lisa
To:Alpert, Bruce;Bennett, Robin;Clerk of the Board;Connelly, Bill;Cook, Holly;Cook, Robin;Hironimus, Patrizia;
Kimmelshue, Tod;Lucero, Debra;Paulsen, Shaina;Pickett, Andy;Reaster, Kayla;Ring, Brian;Ritter, Tami;
Sweeney, Kathleen;Teeter, Doug;Bonnifet, Kristy;Cox, Erin;McSpadden, Elaine;Nicholas, Jodi;Putnam, Jodi;
Soderstrom, Monica;Star, Nanette
Cc:York, Danette
Subject:For Immediate Release: COVID-19 Booster Doses Now Available for Immunocompromised Persons, Pfizer
Receives Full FDA Approval
Date:Monday, August 23, 2021 11:22:48 AM
The following press release will be issued shortly…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 23, 2021
COVID-19 Booster Doses Now Available for Immunocompromised Persons
Pfizer Receives Full FDA Approval
BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. – As of today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has fully approved
Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of COVID in individuals 16 years of age and older,
including the administration of a third dose for persons who are moderately to severely
immunocompromised. The vaccine continues to be available under emergency use authorization
(EUA) for individuals 12 through 15 years of age.
A third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, sometimes referred to as a booster dose, is now available for
persons who are moderately to severely immunocompromised. Third doses of Pfizer and Moderna
may be administered 28 days or more after a person completes the initial two dose series. Currently,
persons who received the Johnson & Johnson are not recommended to receive additional doses.
Persons who are moderately to severely immunocompromised should consult with their healthcare
provider before getting their third dose. Those getting a third dose should get the same mRNA
vaccine as their first two doses and may self-attest that they are immunocompromised – no
documentation will be required.
According to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and CDC, conditions that cause a
person to be moderately to severely immunocompromised include:
Persons receiving cancer treatment
Persons taking immunosuppressive medications for cancer treatment, stem cell transplants,
and other health conditions
Persons with advanced or untreated HIV
Persons with primary immunodeficiency syndromes
A third dose is an important step for those who are immunocompromised, as they may not have
responded to the first two doses in a way that provides them the same level of protection as
someone who is otherwise in good health.
Based on recent studies showing that a person’s level of antibodies may decline over time, a third
dose is likely to be recommended for persons who are not immunocompromised, at least eight
months after being fully vaccinated. Butte County Public Health (BCPH) is waiting for direction from
both the CDPH and the CDC for information about when a third dose will be available to the general
public. BCPH anticipates that this will not happen until mid to late September. Once approved and
available, BCPH will inform the public.
Currently, commercially available antibody tests are not useful in identifying level of protection after
vaccination and are not recommended to determine the need for a third dose.
BCPH urges those who have not yet gotten vaccinated to do so as soon as possible and for those
who have missed their second dose of a two-dose vaccine, to reschedule as soon as possible, even if
it is outside the recommended timeframe. Getting fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is the safest
choice everyone can make to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death.
View a full list of COVID-19 vaccination locations throughout Butte County, visit the BCPH COVID-19
Vaccine website: www.buttecounty.net/COVIDvaccine. Questions? Call the Butte County COVID-19
Call Center: 530.552.3050.
###
Lisa Almaguer
Communications Manager / PIO
BUTTE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH
202 Mira Loma Drive | Oroville, CA 95965
T: 530.552.4000 | D: 530.552.4041 | | M: 530.
COVID-19 Call Center: 530.552.3050 Open 8 am-4:30 pm, M-F
“Nationally Accredited, 09/13/17”
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