Disclaimer: To protect patient privacy, this question has been edited slightly to omit identifying details.
A Patient Power user asked, “I am a 75-year-old woman with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). I got my bivalent booster on September 7, 2022, almost five months ago. I am worried that the booster has waned, making me more vulnerable to catch COVID-19. When will immune-compromised patients like me be eligible for another booster? I have to fly across the country, and I am very nervous. What should I do?”
Expert Response
“This is a great question,” said Kerry Rogers, MD, from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – The James.
First, let’s look at whether you need another booster. “Currently there are no recommendations from any government of scientific group to get another booster after the bivalent one. We expect that this Fall there will be new vaccines against COVID, but that is also still in progress, so we will have to wait to find out,” Dr. Rogers said.
A lot of people are wondering about waning immunity. “While it is true that the immunity against any infection decreased after months for both immune compromised and healthy adults, the risk of very severe outcomes like hospitalization, ICU stay, and death remains very low for those who received vaccines,” Dr. Rogers said. “We have seen decreases in severe infections after vaccines, even in CLL patients, so the risk of the things we really worry about remains low after the COVID vaccines – even after months from the vaccine injection.”
So, if you need to fly, “I would recommend using non-vaccines measures to stay safe during the trip such as masking in the airport/airplane and other public places and using hand sanitizer frequently. These reduce the risk of COVID and other respiratory viruses that have been circulating a lot this winter,” Dr. Rogers recommended.
“I don’t have an exact answer for you since the science of when to use additional vaccines doses is still in progress, but we should all feel good about the fact that COVID-19 related deaths after vaccination remain lower, and there are other non-vaccine measures that can protect us,” Dr. Rogers said.
As for when the next COVID booster is available? “Best to check with your primary care physician,” said Nitin Jain, MD, associate professor in the Department of Leukemia, Division of Cancer Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
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