Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The Food and Drug Administration will allow people with compromised immune systems to get a third dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. The agency amended the emergency use authorizations for each vaccine to allow this specific group of people to get an extra shot.
Usually, the standard two doses are enough for a person to generate plenty of antibodies to fight off the coronavirus. But research done over the past few months shows that many immunocompromised people make too few antibodies or none at all. A third dose might give some of those patients the boost they need to produce antibodies. French officials have been recommending those patients get a third shot since April.
The Center for Disease Control and…
