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Guidance for Administering Third Vaccine Dose to Immunocompromised Patients

Aug. 25, 2021
Ezra Halili, a chronic leukemia patient, receives his third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at Sheba Medical Center on July 14, 2021, in Ramat Gan, Israel.
Ezra Halili, a chronic leukemia patient, receives his third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at Sheba Medical Center on July 14, 2021, in Ramat Gan, Israel. The CDC recommended on August 13, 2021, that immunocompromised individuals in the United States receive a third dose of an mRNA vaccine.
Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images

On August 13, 2021, following reports of waning efficacy of the mRNA vaccines in immunocompromised individuals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended a third dose of vaccine for certain individuals, including those undergoing treatment for cancer, transplant recipients, and those taking medications that suppress the immune system.

The CDC and the American Society of Transplantation (AST) have issued the following guidance for clinicians.

CDC guidance

AST guidance

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