Second COVID-19 Booster Dose Authorized for 50 and Older and Immunocompromised Individuals

NOTE:  The following information was published March 30, 2022. For current information, please visit LVHN.org/vaccines.

Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) is prepared to provide second COVID-19 booster shots starting Thursday (March 31) to populations deemed eligible Tuesday by federal public health authorities.

LVHN continues to urge unvaccinated individuals to get vaccinated and the vaccinated to get their booster shots at the recommended time. National figures show nearly 50 percent of those eligible for their first booster have not yet received it.

LVHN has administered more than 600,000 COVID-19 vaccine shots since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave the green light to a second COVID-19 booster shot for two segments of the population – those 50 and older regardless of health condition and those as young as 12 with a compromised immune system.

New second-booster guidance notes:

• A second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines may be administered to those 50 and older at least four months after receiving a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.
• A second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine may be administered to those 12 and older with certain kinds of compromised immune systems at least four months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA and CDC said this second booster is authorized for people who have undergone solid organ transplantation, or who are living with conditions that similarly compromise their immune system.
• A second booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine may be administered at least four months after the first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine to those 18 and older with the same types of compromised immune system.
• The CDC, in its approval, also said those 18 and older who received a primary vaccine and booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at least four months ago may now receive a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna).

To schedule an appointment, visit our patient portal at MyLVHN.org. COVID-19 booster shot information can be found here. Those seeking the boosters also can call the LVHN COVID-19 hotline at 833-584-6283 (833-LVHN-CVD).

“In the current state of this pandemic, the most vulnerable populations now can get a second COVID-19 booster shot,” said Alex Benjamin, MD, Chief Infection Control and Prevention Officer, LVHN. “The availability of second boosters is crucial to protecting our community if or when another surge of COVID-19 occurs.”