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Can the Vaccinated Develop Lengthy Covid After a Breakthrough An infection?

Can the Vaccinated Develop Long Covid After a Breakthrough Infection?

While some breakthrough cases in people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 are inevitable, they are unlikely to result in hospitalization or death. But an important question about breakthrough infection remains unanswered: Can the vaccinated develop a so-called long covid?

Long Covid refers to a range of symptoms – such as severe fatigue, brain fog, headache, muscle aches, and trouble sleeping – that can last for weeks or months after the active infection has ended. The syndrome is little known, but studies suggest that between 10 and 30 percent of adults who contract the virus can have Covid for a long time, including those who had mild illness or no symptoms at all.

But the vast majority of the long-term data collected by Covid concerns the unvaccinated population. The risk of developing long-term Covid has not been studied in fully vaccinated people who become infected after vaccination.

While preliminary research suggests that it is indeed possible that a breakthrough case could lead to symptoms that could last weeks to months, there are still more questions than answers. What percentage of breakthrough cases result in persistent symptoms? How many of these people are recovering? Are the persistent symptoms after a breakthrough infection as severe as with the unvaccinated?

“I just don’t think there’s enough data,” said Dr. Zijian Chen, medical director of the Center for Post-Covid Care at Mount Sinai Health System in New York. “It’s too early to say that. The number of people who get sick after vaccination is not that high right now, and there is no good tracking mechanism for these patients. “

A study of Israeli health workers recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine offers insight into the risk of long-term Covid infection after a breakthrough infection. Of 1,497 fully vaccinated health care workers, 39 – approximately 2.6 percent – developed breakthrough infections. (All workers were thought to be infected after contact with an unvaccinated person, and the study was conducted before the delta variant became dominant.)

While most breakthrough cases were mild or asymptomatic, seven out of 36 workers observed after six weeks (19 percent) still had persistent symptoms. These long Covid symptoms included a mixture of persistent loss of smell, persistent cough, fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, or muscle pain.

However, the study’s authors caution against drawing too many conclusions from the research. The sample size – only seven patients – is small. And the research is designed to look at antibody levels in those infected, said Dr. Gili Regev-Yochay, Director of the Department of Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases at Sheba Medical Center. It was not designed to study the risk of long-term Covid illness after a breakthrough infection.

“That was not the scope of this paper,” said Dr. Regev-Yochay. “I don’t think we have an answer to that.”

Still, the fact that one in five healthcare workers who had a breakthrough infection still had persistent symptoms after six weeks seems to be the first clue from a peer-reviewed study that long Covid is possible after a breakthrough infection.

Updated

Aug 16, 2021, 5:01 p.m. ET

“People said to me, ‘You are fully vaccinated. Why are you so careful? ‘”Said Dr. Robert M. Wachter, Professor and Chair of the Medical School, University California San Francisco. “I’m still in the camp that I don’t want to get Covid. I don’t want to get a breakthrough infection. “

Dr. Wachter said that despite the many limitations of the Israeli study, the data provides more evidence that those vaccinated should continue to take reasonable precautions to avoid the virus.

“I’ll take it at face value that one in five people continued to feel bad six weeks after a breakthrough,” said Dr. Guardian. “That’s enough to wear two masks when you go shopping in the supermarket, which isn’t that stressful anyway.”

Understand the state of vaccination and masking requirements in the United States

    • Mask rules. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July recommended that all Americans, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks in public places indoors in areas with outbreaks, reversing the guidelines offered in May. See where the CDC guidelines would apply and where states have implemented their own mask guidelines. The battle over masks is controversial in some states, with some local leaders defying state bans.
    • Vaccination regulations. . . and B.Factories. Private companies are increasingly demanding coronavirus vaccines for employees with different approaches. Such mandates are legally permissible and have been confirmed in legal challenges.
    • College and Universities. More than 400 colleges and universities require a vaccination against Covid-19. Almost all of them are in states that voted for President Biden.
    • schools. On August 11, California announced that teachers and staff at both public and private schools would have to get vaccinated or have regular tests, the first state in the nation to do so. A survey published in August found that many American parents of school-age children are against mandatory vaccines for students but are more likely to support masking requirements for students, teachers and staff who are not vaccinated.
    • Hospitals and medical centers. Many hospitals and large health systems require their employees to have a Covid-19 vaccine, due to rising case numbers due to the Delta variant and persistently low vaccination rates in their communities, even within their workforce.
    • new York. On August 3, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that workers and customers would be required to provide proof of vaccination when dining indoors, gyms, performances, and other indoor situations. City hospital staff must also be vaccinated or have weekly tests. Similar rules apply to employees in New York State.
    • At the federal level. The Pentagon announced that it would make coronavirus vaccinations compulsory for the country’s 1.3 million active soldiers “by mid-September at the latest. President Biden announced that all civil federal employees would need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or undergo regular tests, social distancing, mask requirements and travel restrictions.

Making breakthrough infection research difficult is the fact that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only track post-vaccination infections that result in hospitalization or death. While the CDC continues to study breakthrough infections in several large cohorts, the lack of data on all breakthrough cases remains a source of frustration among scientists and patient organizations.

“It is very frustrating not to have data at this point in the pandemic to know what will happen to breakthrough cases,” said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale School of Medicine who conducts studies on long-term Covid. “When a mild breakthrough infection turns into a long Covid, we don’t have that number under control.”

Diana Berrent, founder of Survivor Corps, a Facebook group for people affected by Covid-19 with approximately 171,000 members, conducted an informal survey and found 24 people who said they had persistent symptoms after a breakthrough infection. It is not a scientific sample and the cases have not been validated, but the survey shows that more data is needed on breakthrough cases, Ms Berrent said.

“You can’t extrapolate it to the general population, but it sends a very strong signal that the CDC must mandate coverage of every breakthrough case,” Ms. Berrent said. “We can’t know what we’re not counting.”

However, some experts predict that the surge in new cases caused by the spread of the Delta variant will unfortunately lead to more groundbreaking cases in the coming months. Dr. Chen of Mount Sinai said it would take several months to enroll patients with long covid due to a breakthrough infection.

“We are waiting for these patients to show up at our door,” said Dr. Chen.

Despite the lack of data, one thing is clear: vaccination reduces the risk of getting infected and developing Covid, Athena Akrami, a neuroscientist at University College London, said the data from nearly 4,000 long-term Covid patients developed after long Covid collected and released itself after a March 2020 battle with Covid-19

“It’s simple math,” said Dr. Akrami. “If you reduce infections, the likelihood of long-term Covid illnesses automatically decreases.”

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Blood clots linked to AstraZeneca shot have 22% mortality charge: research

Blood clots linked to AstraZeneca shot have 22% mortality rate: study

A paramedic prepares doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for patients at a walk-in COVID-19 clinic at a Buddhist temple in the Smithfield suburb of Sydney on Aug. 4, 2021.

Saeed Khan | AFP | Getty Images

A new study has provided further details on the “rare but devastating” blood clotting complications associated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

In a peer-reviewed article published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, Massachusetts Medical Society scientists analyzed the first 220 cases of the disease reported in the UK.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine – now one of the most widely used Covid vaccines in the world – was launched in the UK in January, making it the first country to give the vaccine.

A very small number of people who were vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine have developed blood clots. Described by health officials as “extremely rare”, it is characterized by blood clots accompanied by low platelet counts.

The Massachusetts Medical Society study uses data identified from 294 patients who presented to UK hospitals between March 22nd and June 6th.

All of these patients had received their first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot and were hospitalized with symptoms between five and 48 days after their vaccination. The average time between vaccination and hospitalization was 14 days, the results showed.

The overall mortality rate for VITT in the study was 22%.

The researchers also found that 41% of patients who presented with VITT were not diagnosed with any underlying health problems. Of those reporting a past or current illness, the study found that no illnesses or medications that were “unexpected in the general population” were prevalent.

“Against the background of a successful vaccination program in the UK, VITT has emerged as a rare but devastating complication,” the study’s authors said in their report. “We found that it often affects young, otherwise healthy vaccine recipients and is associated with high mortality.”

“In our cohort, 85% of the patients were younger than 60 years, although the (Oxford / AstraZeneca) vaccination was predominant in older adults,” the scientists found.

As a precaution, Great Britain has been offering people under 40 an alternative to the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine since May.

People diagnosed with VITT ranged from 18 to 79 years old, with the mean age being 48, the study showed.

As of July 28, inclusive, an estimated 24.8 million first doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine had been administered in the UK, with an estimated 23.6 million second doses received.

On July 28, government figures show that for every million first or unknown doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca shot, 14.9 people developed a rare blood clot with low platelet counts. After a second dose of the vaccine, the number dropped to 1.8 cases per million.

The overall death rate for that period was 18%, the government data showed, with 73 deaths. Six of these occurred after the second dose.

Late last month, AstraZeneca published a study that found the VITT rate was 8.1 per million after the first dose of its vaccine, which dropped to 2.3 per million after a second dose.

According to official information, 411 suspected cases of VITT had been reported in Great Britain by July 28.

Benefits vs. Risks

In a statement Thursday, AstraZeneca said the research published in the New England Journal of Medicine was drawn from “a small sample size.”

“Recent practical evidence from millions of people shows that AstraZeneca’s vaccine has a similar safety profile to other vaccines and that thrombosis with thrombocytopenia is extremely rare and treatable,” said a spokesman.

The spokesman added that the infection with Covid-19 “poses a far greater risk” for rare blood clotting events.

“Vaccines remain the most effective protection against Covid-19 and the best way out of this pandemic,” they said.

Both the UK and EU drug regulators have identified possible links between the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots.

In April, the company announced it would comply with government requests in the UK and Europe to update its Covid vaccine labels. However, it stressed that the WHO had said “a causal relationship is considered plausible but not confirmed”.

The UK Joint Vaccination and Immunization Committee has stated time and time again that for the vast majority of people, the benefits of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine continue to outweigh the risks.

Several health authorities, including the WHO, the European Medicines Agency and the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis, agree that the benefits of giving the vaccine outweigh the risks.

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Dr. Gottlieb says places of work with vaccine mandates do not want extra precautions

Dr. Scott Gottlieb expects little impact on U.S. Covid cases

Companies that require office workers to get Covid vaccinations are unlikely to need to take additional precautions against the virus even as the Delta variant spikes, Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Thursday.

“I think companies probably don’t need to take any additional measures right now,” such as: B. regulated virus tests, Gottlieb told co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin in “Squawk Box”.

“The belief is that people who are vaccinated and develop the infection can be contagious early in the course of the infection, but clear the infection faster,” added Gottlieb, who was Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration from 2017 to 2019 Board member at several companies, including vaccine maker Pfizer.

Gottlieb pointed to real evidence in Israel showing that “people who get vaccinated and become infected spread within the household but not outside the household.”

Vaccinated people still need to be vigilant about the virus and get tested if they have a viral illness, he said.

“You can certainly see that infection rates are increasing among the vaccinated population. People who were vaccinated some time ago are more prone to Covid. Eventually, some of these infections will give poor results, ”he said.

The number of companies requiring their employees to vaccinate has increased in recent days, with McDonald’s being the latest corporate giant to put such a policy in place on Wednesday. The vaccination edict of the fast food chain applies to the company’s workforce.

Gottlieb said he expected more companies to follow suit, especially those that want employees to return to the office after more than a year of remote work in the fall. He cited the government’s vaccination requirement for U.S. military personnel and federal employees – as well as the potential full FDA approval of Covid vaccines – as “an added boost to businesses” that will “give them confidence that they have the legal basis to do so” stand in relation to compulsory vaccination. “

Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC employee and a member of the board of directors of Pfizer, genetic testing startup Tempus, health technology company Aetion, and biotechnology company Illumina. He is also co-chair of the Healthy Sail Panel of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean.

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Fauci says all people will seemingly want third vaccine

Fauci says everybody will likely need third vaccine

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 20, 2021.

Stefani Reynolds | Reutesr

White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday everybody will someday “likely” need a booster shot of the Covid-19 vaccines.

“We’re already starting to see indications of some diminution” in the durability of the vaccines, Fauci told “CBS This Morning.”

However, he said it’s not likely that they will be widely administered any time soon. The priority, Fauci said, is to give boosters to people who have compromised immune systems, including those with cancer and transplanted organs.

“We don’t feel at this particular point that, apart from the immune-compromised, we don’t feel we need to give boosters right now,” he said.

Fauci’s comments come the same day the Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize third Covid shot for people with weakened immune systems, a highly anticipated move intended to shield some of the most vulnerable Americans from the highly contagious delta variant.

Such people, including cancer and HIV patients, represent only about 2.7% of the U.S. adult population but make up about 44% of hospitalized Covid breakthrough cases, which is when a fully vaccinated individual becomes infected, according to recent data from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory group.

Studies suggest that a third vaccine shot might help patients whose immune systems don’t respond as well to a first or second dose.

Covid vaccine makers, including Pfizer and Moderna, have repeatedly argued that everyone will eventually need a booster shot and potentially extra doses every year, just like for the seasonal flu. Pfizer has said it plans to ask the FDA to authorize boosters as it sees signs of waning immunity.

The U.S. drugmaker has cited data out of Israel, where officials are reporting the two-dose vaccine is now just 39% effective in the country. The vaccine is still highly effective against severe disease, hospitalizations and deaths, according to Israeli health officials.

The CDC does not currently recommend booster doses of the vaccines for otherwise healthy people at this time. But Fauci, speaking Thursday on NBC’s “TODAY,” said “inevitably there will be a time when we’ll have to get boosts.”

“No vaccine, at least not within this category, is going to have an indefinite amount of protection,” he said.

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CDC panel prepares to vote on Covid vaccine booster pictures for weak People

CDC panel prepares to vote on Covid vaccine booster shots for vulnerable Americans

Marilyn Lurie, who suffers from frontotemporal dementia, is being monitored in the back yard of her home by elderly caregiver Olga Lopez after receiving her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine as part of a mobile vaccination program on July 16, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.

Mario Tama | Getty Images News | Getty Images

A key advisory group from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing to vote on Friday on distributing Covid-19 vaccine booster shots to Americans with compromised immune systems.

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is due to meet on Friday to consider Covid booster vaccinations for such people, including cancer and HIV patients. On Thursday, the CDC updated their website to indicate that a vote is scheduled for the meeting on Friday around 1 p.m. ET.

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve a third Covid vaccination for immunocompromised populations on Thursday, a highly anticipated move designed to protect some of the most vulnerable Americans from the highly contagious Delta variant.

However, the FDA’s OK is not the final go-ahead. The CDC Advisory Committee must then make a recommendation on how to distribute the booster shots. If the CDC accepts the advisory group’s recommendation as expected, third shots could begin immediately.

Immunocompromised populations would be the first group in the US to receive a booster vaccination. Federal health officials are not currently recommending additional doses for the general public.

People with compromised immune systems make up only about 2.7% of the adult US population. Still, they account for around 44% of hospitalized breakthrough Covid cases, according to recent data from the CDC group. A breakthrough case is infection in a fully vaccinated person.

The Senior Medical Advisor to the White House, Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week that new data suggests that immunocompromised people are not generating an adequate immune response after receiving two doses of a Covid vaccine.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the FDA has worked closely with Pfizer and Moderna to give these vulnerable groups the opportunity to receive booster vaccinations.

“An extra dose could help increase protection for these people, which is especially important as the Delta variant is spreading,” she said during a Covid briefing at the White House. “This action is about ensuring that our most vulnerable, who may need an extra dose to improve their biological responses to the vaccines, are better protected from Covid-19.”

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Covid breakthrough danger could also be a lot decrease with Moderna vaccine than Pfizer

Covid breakthrough risk may be much lower with Moderna vaccine than Pfizer

On this illustration from 19.

Given Ruvic | Reuters

The risk of developing a breakthrough COVID-19 infection with the Delta variant after being fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine may be much lower than that, according to a new study from the Mayo Clinic awaiting a full review Risk to those who received the Pfizer vaccine.

The study found that in July in Florida, where COVID cases have hit an all-time high and the Delta variant is widespread, the risk of a breakthrough in Moderna recipients was 60% lower compared to Pfizer recipients.

Similarly, last month in Minnesota, the authors found that the Moderna vaccine (also known as mRNA-1273) was 76% effective in preventing infection, but the Pfizer vaccine (known as BNT162b2) was 42% effective.

“Comparing infection rates between matched individuals fully vaccinated with mRNA-1273 with BNT162b2 at Mayo Clinic Health System sites in several states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, Florida, and Iowa) found one with mRNA-1273 Twice the risk reduction compared to a breakthrough infection compared to BNT162b2 “, write the authors in their abstract.

The authors found that both vaccines “strongly protect” against serious illnesses; the difference seems to be more whether people become infected at all. The CDC has said that the risk of infection in the unvaccinated is 8 times higher than that of the vaccinated and the risk of hospitalization or death is 25 times higher.

The so-called pre-print study, which was neither peer-reviewed nor published in a scientific journal, was first published on Sunday but received more attention on Wednesday when Axios reported that the Biden administration was using the data as a “wake-up call.” . “

Pfizer told Axios that it and its partner BioNTech “can develop and produce a bespoke vaccine against this variant in about 100 days of a decision, subject to regulatory approval.”

The company confirmed the effectiveness of its vaccines in a subsequent statement, saying it was also determined to develop boosters.

“Pfizer and BioNTech have put in place a robust refresher research program to ensure that our vaccine continues to offer the highest level of protection possible. Initial data from a third dose of the current vaccine shows that a booster dose at least 6 months after the second dose elicits high neutralization titers against the wild-type, beta and delta variants, “Pfizer said in a statement.

Just last week, Moderna warned that breakthrough infections were on the rise, saying those who received his vaccine would likely need a booster shot before winter. And at the end of last month, Pfizer also said that a booster that is already being tested would be effective against the Delta variant.

Data from New Jersey, where Delta now accounts for 90% of all positive COVID samples tested, underscores the key points: Breakthrough infections still make up a very small percentage of new COVID hospital admissions, but that percentage has been increasing significantly in weeks recently.

Fully vaccinated New Jerseyans accounted for 18.5% of all new COVID cases in the July 20-26, said Governor Phil Murphy. More importantly, these cases accounted for 3% of all new hospital admissions.

Murphy cited the data Monday as evidence that vaccines are working, but the fact that as many as 3% of hospitalized COVID patients have been vaccinated is a concern – and with it the direction in which the breakthrough cases are headed to develop.

The proportion of 3% of vaccinated people who were hospitalized with the virus in the period from July 20 to July 26 has increased significantly compared to the proportion of 0.004% in the period up to July 26.

Pfizer accounts for 30% of the more than 10.6 million vaccine doses given in New Jersey to date, while Moderna accounts for about 21%, state data shows.

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CDC says over 90% of U.S. counties now meet its Covid tips for masks indoors

CDC says over 90% of U.S. counties now meet its Covid guidelines for masks indoors

Mask requirements apply in Provincetown, MA on August 6, 2021.

Craig F. Walker | Boston Globe | Getty Images

The Delta-Covid variant has spread so quickly in the US that most counties in the country now meet CDC guidelines that recommend wearing masks indoors – whether they are vaccinated or not.

“We continue to see increases in cases, hospitalizations and deaths across the country. And now over 90% of counties in the United States are experiencing significant or high transmission,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters at a briefing Thursday. “As we said earlier, by far the most vulnerable people remain who have not yet been vaccinated.”

The CDC updated its mask guidelines on July 27 to recommend indoor masks in areas of the United States where community transmission was considered high or significant. Most of the counties with high transmission rates were in the southern United States, but in two weeks the proliferation of the highly transmittable delta variant expanded to most counties across the country.

The CDC recorded 132,384 new cases of Covid on Wednesday and hit a seven-day average of about 113,000 cases per day, up nearly 24% from the previous week, it said. Hospital admissions also rose about 31% in the previous week to about 9,700 per day.

Unvaccinated Americans make up the overwhelming majority of hospital admissions and deaths across the country, she said.

Several large institutions in the public and private sectors have mandated vaccines or require weekly Covid tests to prevent the virus from spreading further. President Joe Biden recently met with private sector leaders to promote vaccine or testing mandates.

“Immunization regulations are growing in importance across the country and already covering tens of millions of workers, educators, students and healthcare providers,” said Jeffrey Zients, White House coronavirus response coordinator, at the meeting. “You will help keep communities safe and stop the virus from spreading.”

Several cities with high vaccination rates have also mandated vaccinations for indoor activities in places like restaurants, bars, and gyms to prevent further spread of the Delta variant. New York City requires at least one dose of indoor activity vaccine, and San Francisco requires full vaccination with a two-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine. According to Zients, around 700 colleges and universities across the country have introduced vaccination mandates.

In the hardest hit states, vaccination rates are rising as residents take precautions against the spread of the Delta variant, he said. The average number of daily shots tripled in the past month in Arkansas and quadrupled in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, Zients said.

The CDC on Wednesday also stepped up its vaccination recommendations for pregnant women, reiterating that the vaccine is safe for those who are pregnant or planning to conceive. Walensky cited new data that “found no safety concerns for pregnant people who are vaccinated late in pregnancy or for their babies,” she said.

“To end this pandemic, every American must do their part. So if you are not vaccinated, please get your vaccination … it has never been more important, ”said Zients.

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Map reveals newest outbreak in mainland China as delta instances rise

Map shows latest outbreak in mainland China as delta cases rise

In recent weeks, new pockets of Covid-19 cases have surfaced in parts of mainland China as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads across the country.

So far this month, locally transmitted cases reported in mainland China have risen to 878 – more than double the 390 cases recorded for the entire month of July, according to the CNBC daily statistics from China’s National Health Commission.

To be clear, the number of reported infections is much lower in China than many countries – including the US, where an average of about 100,000 new cases a day, and Southeast Asia, where daily cases have risen sharply.

Still, Chinese authorities have imposed targeted bans, tightened movement controls and ordered mass tests to curb the recent resurgence in Covid cases.

Impact on China’s Economy

Economists have raised concerns about China’s zero tolerance for Covid. The government has insisted on stamping out any flare-ups in Covid cases, even as many countries around the world – including the UK and Singapore – have started to accept that the virus will never go away.

The recent resurgence of Covid cases in China is due to the fact that some economic growth engines continue to lose momentum while domestic consumption struggles to fully recover, HSBC economists said in a report on Wednesday.

The economists found that the number of new infections reported in China is the highest since an outbreak in northern China in December 2020.

“As a result, many provinces and cities have tightened social distancing restrictions and bans on travel between cities and provinces,” the report said.

“These measures will inevitably weigh on growth, especially domestic consumption, which has not yet seen a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels,” the analysts said.

HSBC said mounting economic pressures could lead Beijing to adopt “more supportive” fiscal policies. This could include major infrastructure spending and tax cuts for small and medium-sized businesses, the bank said.

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FDA permits third dose for the immune-deficient

FDA permits third dose for the immune-deficient

The Food and Drug Administration authorized Covid-19 vaccine booster shots for people with weakened immune systems, a highly anticipated move intended to shield some of the most vulnerable Americans from the highly contagious delta variant.

“Today’s action allows doctors to boost immunity in certain immunocompromised individuals who need extra protection from COVID-19,” acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said in a statement.

The agency said organ transplant recipients and people who are similarly immunocompromised can receive a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines. The FDA also emphasized that other fully vaccinated people are “adequately protected” and currently do not need an extra dose.

The FDA OK is not the final go-ahead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee has scheduled a meeting Friday to consider shots for immunocompromised Americans. If they issue a recommendation and it is approved by the CDC, third shots could begin immediately.

White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week that federal health officials were speeding regulatory efforts to clear third doses for such people, including cancer and HIV patients or those who have had organ transplants. He said new data suggested they don’t produce an adequate immune response after receiving two doses of a Covid vaccine.

“Immunocompromised individuals are vulnerable,” Fauci said Thursday. “It is extremely important for us to move to get those individuals their boosters, and we are now working on that, and we will make that be implemented as quickly as possible. … It is a very high priority.”

Such people represent only about 2.7% of the U.S. adult population but make up about 44% of hospitalized Covid breakthrough cases, which is when a fully vaccinated individual becomes infected, according to recent data from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory group.

Studies suggest that a third vaccine shot might help patients whose immune systems don’t respond as well to a first or second dose.

Four small studies cited by the CDC last month showed that 16% to 80% of people with weakened immune systems didn’t have detectable antibodies to fight Covid after two shots. Among vaccinated patients who had no detectable antibody response, 33% to 50% developed an antibody response after receiving an additional dose, according to the CDC.

With delta surging in the U.S., doctors fear leaving such groups unprotected against the virus could lead to even more dangerous variants.

Fauci, speaking with “CBS This Morning” earlier Thursday, said it is “likely” everybody will eventually need to receive a booster dose. But the priority right now, he said, is to give boosters to people who have compromised immune systems.

Some doctors had long been pushing for the U.S. to allow immunosuppressed populations to get an extra dose, and many of them are already finding additional doses of the vaccines on their own, medical experts say.

A CDC advisory group met last month to consider whether fully vaccinated Americans with weakened immune systems need a booster dose after data showed they are less likely to have antibodies to fight the disease and more likely to suffer from a breakthrough infection.

“The hardest to vaccinate people are those who are immunosuppressed,” Dr. Dan Barouch, an immunologist at Harvard Medical School, said in late June. Data suggests at least a third of them respond well if they get a third dose, he added.

The FDA’s move comes after the World Health Organization urged wealthy nations last week to temporarily stop the distribution of booster shots, citing vaccine inequity across the globe. However, world health officials made sure to emphasize they were not referring to the extra doses that may be needed now for certain groups, like those with weakened immune systems.

Other countries, such as France, are already giving out third shots to people living with cancer or other immune impairments. Israel announced plans last month to offer booster shots to people over age 60, another high-risk population, as the shot’s effectiveness appears to wane in those individuals.

In the U.S., Mississippi, a state with some of the lowest vaccination rates, is advising that doctors consider a booster dose for people with weakened immune systems. Health officials there recommend waiting at least four weeks after full vaccination before receiving a booster.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

— CNBC’s Christine Wang contributed to this report.

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Children and Covid: What to Know, a Instances Digital Occasion

Kids and Covid: What to Know, a Times Virtual Event

With cases of the delta variant of coronavirus increasing across the country and children under 12 still needing to be approved for the vaccine, returning to school in September can feel unsafe at best and worrying at worst.

How will this new strain affect our children? Is it still certain that the school will take place in person? What preventive measures should we take to protect our children?

Hear important answers from Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, and then join an important question-and-answer session for parents, educators, and students everywhere with Times journalists (who are parents themselves), including Apoorva Mandavilli, a science reporter, and Lisa Damour, a contributing writer and psychologist, hosted by Andrew Ross Sorkin, founder and columnist of DealBook.

It’s all part of our latest subscription-only virtual series of events. We look forward to seeing you there.