<\/em>NCCN guidance says several groups should be considered eligible immediately for a third dose of either of the mRNA vaccines<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n <\/b><\/p>\n <\/b><\/p>\n TUESDAY, Sept. 7, 2021 (HealthDay News) — An alliance of leading U.S. cancer centers has updated guidance about COVID-19 vaccine boosters for cancer patients and the people around them. <\/p>\n The guidance, from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Vaccination Advisory Committee, says several groups should be considered eligible immediately for a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccine: patients with either new or recurring solid tumors receiving treatment within a year of their initial vaccine dose, regardless of their type of cancer therapy; patients with active blood cancers whether or not they are now receiving treatment; any cancer patient who received a stem cell transplant (SCT) or engineered cellular therapy, especially within the past two years; recipients of allogeneic SCT on immunosuppressive therapy or with a history of graft-versus-host disease regardless of when they got their transplant; and any cancer patients who also have an additional immunosuppressive condition — such as HIV — or are receiving immune-suppressing treatment unrelated to their cancer therapy.<\/p>\n The updated guidance is based on the latest information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>. It highlights CDC recommendations for people to wait at least four weeks between second and third doses. Patients who develop COVID-19 despite having two doses should wait for their third dose until they have confirmed they are no longer infected. People who live with immunocompromised people should also get a third dose once it is available to them, the committee advised.<\/p>\n The advisory said it is best for that third dose to be the same type of vaccine as the first two doses, but a different mRNA vaccine is also acceptable. In other words, someone who had the Pfizer vaccine could get a Moderna booster, and vice versa. The recommendation did not address the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.<\/p>\n If possible, immunocompromised people should try to receive their third dose in a health care setting instead of a pharmacy or public vaccination clinic to limit their risk for exposure to the general population.<\/p>\n