Masking Up Again And The FDA Approve Third Dose For Compromised Immune Systems
Time to mask back up, I know I am now wearing a mask when going into stores right now, And I am fully vaccinated. As far as schools go mask policies will remain in place for schools this fall.
In conjunction with the newly updated recommendation on the use of protective masks from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), City of Pittsfield health officials are advising the public to use masks or cloths in public settings which pose a higher risk for community spread of COVID-19 Delta Variant.
The Department of Public Health issued a public health advisory effective as of July 30 that advises all unvaccinated residents to continue to wear masks in indoor settings and when they can’t socially distance. The advisory also recommends that vaccinated residents who are at increased risk from COVID-19, or who live with someone at increased risk, should wear a face-covering indoors (other than in their home).
Yesterday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for both the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to allow for the use of an additional dose in certain immunocompromised individuals, specifically, solid organ transplant recipients or those who are diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is currently authorized for emergency use in individuals ages 12 and older, and the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine is authorized for emergency use in individuals ages 18 and older. Both vaccines are administered as a series of two shots: the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is administered three weeks apart, and the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine is administered one month apart. The authorizations for these vaccines have been amended to allow for an additional, or third, dose to be administered at least 28 days following the two-dose regimen of the same vaccine to individuals 18 years of age or older (ages 12 or older for Pfizer-BioNTech) who have undergone solid organ transplantation, or who are diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise.