California OKs Booster COVID-19 Shots For Some: What To Know

CALIFORNIA — The highly transmissible delta variant continues to drive up cases among the unvaccinated and vaccinated, prompting authorities this week to OK booster vaccine shots for some immunocompromised Californians.

The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup approved a third vaccine dose for people with specific conditions that make them more susceptible to suffering serious illness from the coronavirus.

"As California continues to see an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, it is critical we take action to protect immunocompromised people who are most vulnerable to severe disease," Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, the state's public health officer, said in a statement on Monday.

Californians who are fully vaccinated and do not suffer from a compromised immune system "continue to be protected against the virus and do not need additional immunization against COVID-19 at this time," Aragón said.

The state's OK came just days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended its emergency use authorizations for both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to allow immunocompromised Americans to get an additional shot.

The federal government did not release a specific list of conditions that would warrant a third dose. Solid organ transplant recipients and residents who are diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise were given the green light to receive an extra protective shot, the FDA said.

Here's who needs a booster shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Those who are receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood.
• Those who received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.
• Californians who received a stem cell transplant within the last two years or who are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.
• Residents with moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome or Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome).
• Those with advanced or untreated HIV infection.
• People who are undergoing active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress their immune response.

A booster dose of Pfizer also became available for high-risk children between 12 and 18. To date, Pfizer is the only vaccine authorized for children.

CVS and Walgreens locations statewide began offering a third dose for vulnerable Californians following the FDA and Western States approvals.

SEE ALSO: CA Requiring Vaccinations For Teachers, First In U.S.

The FDA further recommended that immunocompromised Californians who contract COVID-19 discuss monoclonal antibody treatment options with a health care provider.

"The country has entered yet another wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the FDA is especially cognizant that immunocompromised people are particularly at risk for severe disease," Dr. Janet Woodcock, FDA commissioner, said in a statement.

Recent studies have shown that the first two doses of Pfizer or Moderna are less effective for those with weakened immune systems, offering 59 to 72 percent effectiveness instead of 90 to 94 percent effectiveness among those with strong immune systems, NPR reported.

High-risk people are also more likely to experience a breakthrough infection.

READ MORE: Hospital Visitors Must Be Vaccinated Or Show Negative Test In CA

"For this group of patients, ... a third shot is going to improve their response to the vaccine and therefore lessen their chances of either contracting the disease or having a more serious disease," Dr. David Karp, who heads the Division of Rheumatic Diseases at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, told NPR.

The news comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom signed another executive order to bolster staffing, space and resources for hospitals and schools across the state Monday. The order signaled that the pandemic could take another drastic turn as hospitals prepare for a heavier influx of patients.

California's positivity rate was 6.1 percent on Monday, and hospitalizations have doubled in California, from 2,543 patients on July 23 to 7,166 on Monday. In that same time frame, the number of patients in intensive care units rose from 582 to 1,637.

The vast majority of new cases are among those who are unvaccinated, a group associated with 600 percent higher case rates, according to state data. For the week of Aug. 7, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians was 51 per 100,000 per day; the average case rate among vaccinated Californians was just 8.2 per 100,000 per day, according to the state.

More than 55 percent of Californians have been fully vaccinated, according to data from the Los Angeles Times. And 63.5 percent of eligible Californians have received at least one dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, the newspaper reported.

"If we want to end this pandemic and disease, we could do it in a month," Newsom said at Claremont Middle School last week after announcing vaccine and testing mandates for education staff. "This disease is now a choice. The one thing that could end this pandemic once and for all is available in abundance to everybody that wants it. Regardless of your ability to pay, regardless of your immigration status: It's available today."