As of August 13, 2021, the CDC guidelines recommend that those who are moderately to severely immunocompromised should receive a booster or third dose of their original 2-dose series vaccine of either Pfizer or Moderna.

Per the CDC, Immunocompromised people include those who are:

• Undergoing treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies,

• Solid-organ transplant recipient and taking immunosuppressive therapy

• Recipient of CAR-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 2 years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy

• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (e.g., DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)

• Advanced or untreated HIV infection, or receiving active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids, alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blockers, and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory.

These groups may not have developed as strong of an immune response to the first two doses and the third dose will give the immune system extra protection against the virus.

Additionally, overtime the immune system response will begin to weaken and the booster will allow the immune system to trigger another response. Those who immunocompromised have a higher risk of contracting the virus and transmitting it to others.

To understand how the vaccine works, you can compare it to a time where you have learned something new.

When you discover something, you are learning how it works and are figuring out how to remember it. For the Vaccine, once received, it enters your body and works to create antibodies and defense mechanisms to protect your immune system.

Once you become an expert at learning what you have discovered, you do not have to worry about relearning the process all over again. For the Vaccine, this is the time when your body waits to encounter the virus. during this time, the body is storing instructions in your immune system in case it encounters the virus.

Over time, you begin to forget some of the little details. This is your body’s immune response weakening. Although you will not completely forget what you have learned, it is important to refresh your memory from time to time, as this will allow you to continue to remember what you have learned.

This is why receiving a booster is so beneficial to keeping your immune system strong and ready to fight coronavirus if coming in contact.