Question:
I have had my second dose of Pfizer. I’m wondering whether anyone has asked the question as to whether a third dose is necessary to obtain the immunity of someone who does not have a compromised immune system?
Answer: There are no data yet indicating a COVID booster vaccine dose (aka a third shot) is beneficial and/or safe. However, this is an active area of research, and we suspect there will be more information coming out on this topic in the coming months. Current studies are looking at the longevity of responses, and these studies might give us an indication for trying additional vaccinations.
Also, please keep in mind that there are no data that indicate the absence of antibodies implies a lack of protection from the vaccine. For instance, patients have had no antibodies by one assay test, but then did have antibodies on another. Additionally, there are no tests right now that measure the T cell response to the vaccine which is an important immune response component. There are also several ongoing studies on the immune response to COVID vaccines which specifically include T cell response in CLL and other blood cancer patients. But again, we won’t have any indication of the results of these studies for a few months.
Be sure and watch the COVID-19 section of our website here:
We will be sharing our information as soon as we learn of it.
