For every person who incorrectly insists the COVID-19 isn’t safe because it was rushed through the approval process there’s one who has already gotten the vaccine and is now teething at the bit to get a booster shot. While it’s unclear at this time what role boosters will play in fighting the pandemic down the road, for now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has specified that urgent care providers and other healthcare professionals should only administer booster doses to select patients. The CDC recommends a third dose of the Moderna vaccine for moderately or severely immunocompromised individuals who received their second dose of the vaccine within the last 28 days. Only around 3% of the U.S. population would meet the criteria for “moderately or severely” immunocompromised, but they include those who have:
- Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
- Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
- Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
- Advanced or untreated HIV infection
- Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress the immune response
You can read the entire CDC guideline here.