CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina health leaders said they're working on a plan to help make sure teachers and school staff have access to COVID-19 booster shots.
Leaders met with the State Board of Education officials Thursday to discuss COVID-19 metrics in schools.
Right now, both groups say they're waiting on more guidance from the CDC, but they're already thinking about ways to get those third doses to school workers as soon as possible.
Who can get a booster shot?
Most of the population still has a few weeks or even months to go before it could be time for a booster shot, but about 3% of the country's population is considered immunocompromised.
That includes cancer patients, organ transplant recipients and people with HIV, and experts recommend they get another dose of the shot now.
Why are booster shots necessary?
Nearly 1 million COVID-19 booster shots have been given in the United States since the FDA and CDC approved a third dose for the immunocompromised just two and a half weeks ago. Experts say it's necessary after data shows some didn't have as strong of an immune response compared to those who are not immunocompromised.
“This shouldn't come as a surprise for people who are immunocompromised who are known for plenty of other vaccines to not mount a sufficient vaccine response as their healthy colleagues,” Dr. Cameron Wolfe, an infectious disease specialist at Duke Health, said.
It's only approved for the Pfizer and Moderna shot under emergency use authorization, and for now, the booster is the same exact dose already given for shots one and two.
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