WHO Committee Recommends That Immunocompromised Get Third Dose of COVID Vaccine

October 12, 2021

Yesterday, an advisory committee to the WHO made a recommendation for immunocompromised persons to receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, from one of seven manufacturers. These include Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sinovac, Sinopharm and Serum Institute of India. Committee members also recommended a third dose for those 60+ who were inoculated with the Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccine. To learn more on the research and development behind the world’s leading vaccines, check out our vaccine chart.

While “booster” and “third dose” have often been used interchangeably, the WHO committee made a point to distinguish their recommendation of an additional dose from the institution of a booster regimen currently being implemented in the United States, as well as other countries around the world.

Booster programs are being implemented to “boost” the immunity in healthy adults. The committee’s recommendation differs from boosters in that immunocompromised persons may not have had an adequate response to a primary vaccination series. The WHO has not made a recommendation for healthy individuals receiving a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but has plans to discuss boosters in a November 11, 2021 meeting.