coronavirus pandemic

Some Immunocompromised People Can Receive a 4th COVID Shot: CDC

The CDC updated its vaccine guidance this week

FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021 file photo, a nurse loads a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Jackson, Miss. Millions of Americans are now eligible to receive a Pfizer booster shot to help increase their protection against the worst effects of the coronavirus.
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly updated its COVID-19 vaccine guidance Monday for large swaths of immunocompromised people, saying they can receive a booster dose of a COVID vaccine at least six months after completing their primary vaccination series. 

But unlike boosters for the vast majority of Americans, a booster shot for an immunocompromised individual may be their fourth COVID shot.

In August, the CDC recommended that immunocompromised individuals who had been initially vaccinated with either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna mRNA vaccine ​​— but not Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine ​​— receive a third dose of an mRNA vaccine. That extra dose was not considered a booster, but rather a part of their primary vaccination series. 

It's OK to mix and match vaccines when scheduling your booster shot, Dr. John Torres explains. And he answers your other coronavirus questions about Colin Powell and police officers dying from the virus.

For more on this story, go to NBC News.

Contact Us