Baptist Health Corbin to offer third vaccine doses to those with weakened immune systems

Baptist Health Corbin is one of several locations now offering a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine 28 days after individuals receive their second dose as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

COVID-19 third dose vaccines are now being scheduled and administered at two Baptist Health facilities – Baptist Health Louisville and Baptist Health Corbin.

According to a press release from Baptist Health, “Persons with compromised immune systems likely failed to respond fully to the vaccines or not at all due to their underlying health conditions.”

Baptist Health Corbin is only administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine Monday through Friday, from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm in the Outpatient Care Center located at the hospital. Appointments are available at ScheduleYourVaccine.com. The Pfizer vaccine can be given to those age 12 and up. A parent or guardian must be present for those under age 16.

To get a third dose, or for your initial two doses of the fully FDA-approved Pfizer vaccine, go to ScheduleYourVaccine.com to register and make an appointment at those locations.

You will be asked to sign a form stating that your medical condition fits the criteria to receive a third dose of vaccine.

Medical conditions that qualify patients for a third dose include:

• Active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
• Receipt of solid-organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy
• Receipt of CAR-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 2 years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy)
• Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (e.g., DiGeorge, Wiskott-Aldrich syndromes)
• Advanced or untreated HIV infection
• Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids (i.e., ≥20mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, TNF blockers, and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory.

Several pharmacies are offering a third dose, and the availability of those locations can be found at vaccine.ky.gov.

The one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine is not included in these recommendations at this time because of insufficient data about the protection provided by a second dose, according to the CDC.