Doha: The Ministry of Public Health has approved a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines - Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna - to individuals suffering from certain immunodeficiency diseases.
The Ministry said that its approval comes in line with the authorization recently issued by the US Food and Drug Administration and the approval of the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention; noting that the third dose applies only to individuals with severe immunodeficiency and those who are particularly vulnerable to serious complications of COVID-19 infection.
The Ministry explained that individuals from this group are more at risk of developing a serious and prolonged illness in the event of infection with COVID-19, because they may not obtain the same level of immunity after receiving two doses of the vaccine compared to people who do not suffer from immunodeficiency. The Ministry noted that these patients will benefit from receiving an additional dose of the vaccine to ensure that they receive adequate protection against the COVID-19 virus.
The Ministry stated that the third dose aims to improve the response of immunocompromised people to the initial series of COVID-19 vaccines they have received before, and it is not considered a booster dose like that given to individuals when it is likely that their immune response to the initial series of vaccines they have received has weakened over time.
The Ministry added that the decision to give the third dose to this specific group coincides with the current clinical evidence, provided that the Ministry conducts regular reviews and will take additional decisions regarding giving an additional dose to other groups when more evidence is available.
The Ministry identified that the groups eligible to receive the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as follows:
- Individuals who are currently receiving cancer treatments to treat tumors or leukemias.
- Individuals who have had an organ transplant and are using drugs that suppress the immune system.
- Individuals who have had a stem cell transplant within the past two years, or are using immunosuppressive drugs.
- Individuals with moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (eg, DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome).
- Individuals with advanced or untreated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
- Individuals currently receiving treatment with high doses of corticosteroids or other medications that may suppress the immune response such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers, and other immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory biological agents.
- Individuals with chronic conditions such as asplenia and chronic kidney disease.
The Ministry of Public Health indicated that individuals who are eligible to receive the third dose of vaccination will be contacted directly through the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) or a member of the specialized care team supervising their treatment at Hamad Medical Corporation, to set a date for receiving the third dose of the vaccine.