People who are being treated for blood cancers (such as leukemia or lymphoma) or have had a bone marrow/stem cell or organ transplant are considered moderately or severely immunocompromised.
Vaccination series for people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised. For people 18 and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, the second dose should be given 3 weeks from the first dose. The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is approved for people 18 years of age and older and is given in 2 doses, between 3 and 8 weeks apart.
The CDC recommends that people who received the Janssen vaccine should consider a booster dose of either Pfizer or Moderna instead, because they are preferred for their effectiveness. A booster dose of this vaccine should be given to adults 18 and older at least 2 months after the first dose. The Janssen vaccine is given in 1 dose and is authorized for individuals 18 and older who are unable to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine or who otherwise would not receive a COVID-19 vaccine. For people 50 and older, a second booster dose (a fourth total dose) can be given 4 months after the first booster dose. A booster dose is authorized for people 18 and older and can be administered 5 months after the second dose. It is administered in 2 doses, 1 month apart. The Moderna vaccine, an mRNA vaccine, is authorized for use in people 6 months of age and older.
In the United States, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, an mRNA vaccine, is approved as a 3-dose primary series for children aged 6 months to 4 years old and as a 2-dose primary series for people age 5 and older. For example, someone who received the initial vaccination series with the Moderna vaccine could receive a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authorized the use of “mix and match” booster doses in October 2021. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for everyone 6 months and older, and booster doses of 3 of the vaccines are recommended for eligible people aged 5 and older. Check your local or national health department to learn more about how vaccines are being distributed in your area. Vaccine distribution varies from country to country.
You can find COVID-19 vaccines near you by searching, checking with major retail pharmacies, or calling 1-80. There are plenty of vaccine doses available in the United States. Booster doses are important in helping lower the risk of a breakthrough infection. The Omicron variant, for example, is more infectious than the Delta variant and may cause breakthrough infections in people who are vaccinated. However, variants may still cause illness in some people who are vaccinated. The available COVID-19 vaccines are effective against most variants of the virus. Globally, other vaccines are available or are in process of receiving Emergency Use Listing by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the United States, the 4 vaccines authorized for use are made by Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Moderna (Spikevax), Janssen, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax. There are several COVID-19 vaccines that are now in use in different parts of the world. What do I need to know about COVID-19 vaccines? Patients should talk with their oncologists and health care teams to discuss their options to protect themselves from infection. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is aware that people with cancer and cancer survivors, particularly those with compromised immune systems, are likely worried about the potential impact of COVID-19 on their health. Markham is the Cancer.Net Associate Editor for Gynecologic Cancers and the past chair of ASCO's Cancer Communications Committee. She specializes in the treatment of gynecologic cancers. Merry Jennifer Markham, MD, FACP, FASCO, is Chief of the University of Florida (UF) Division of Hematology & Oncology, a Clinical Professor in the UF College of Medicine, and the Associate Director for Medical Affairs at the UF Health Cancer Center. It received the award of Distinction from the eHealthcare Awards in the Best COVID-19 Pandemic Related Communications category. This post is reviewed twice a week and updated as needed.