COVID-19 Booster Vaccine
The FDA has authorized a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (a booster) to immunocompromised people defined as people having received a solid organ transplant, people living with HIV, or those with a similar level of immunocompromised state. As of August 19, 2021, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) announced guidance on the COVID19 booster and MS. Please visit the NMSS website for more information. In most cases, we support our patients getting the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as a booster when it is available.
It is unlikely that all of our patients are deemed eligible right now. Please see the NMSS site for further information on which MS treatments make patients more immunosuppressed. Further, we are experiencing that our patients are getting different responses regarding their current eligibility for the booster at different booster administration sites.
Our understanding is that the CDC has reported that they are prepared to offer a roll out of booster shots beginning in the autumn at which point if a COVID19 vaccine was recommended to you, then a booster will also be recommended. If a specific timeframe of vaccination was recommended to you based on your treatment, this same timeframe should try to be followed with the booster. If this timeline is not followed it will not be harmful, it may just not maximize effectiveness of the booster. For further questions please make an appointment with one of the MS providers.