Cleveland Clinic Now Offers Third Dose of COVID-19 Vaccines to Immunocompromised Patients

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland Clinic is now scheduling a third dose of Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus vaccines for immunocompromised patients.

The health system’s announcement comes after U.S. health officials cleared a third dose for people with weakened immune systems who have already received their first two doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. An additional dose has not been approved for immunocompromised patients who have received the single injection Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The booster should be administered at least 28 days after the patient has received their second dose, as directed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Eligible clinic patients can schedule their third dose of the vaccine through their MyChart account online or by calling 216-448-4117. More information is available at clevelandclinic.org/covidvaccine.

Federal health officials said a third dose of the vaccine would provide more protection for people who are immunocompromised. Data has shown that it may also reduce the risk of developing serious illness, being admitted to hospital, or dying.

The clinic said it currently has a supply of Pfizer vaccine. But current CDC guidelines would allow a patient to receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine as an extra dose, as they were similarly developed with messenger RNA.

To date, no additional vaccine doses have been approved for healthy patients. However, health officials said additional doses could be licensed for all Americans by September to increase protection against the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.