Published Jul 22, 2021

Breakthrough Covid: People with Cancer, Immunocompromised Patients Account for 44% of Hospitalizations Among Fully-Vaccinated People

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Immunocompromised Hospitalized Despite Vaccinations

Immunocompromised individuals represent 44% of COVID breakthrough cases requiring hospitalization, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
The advisory board stated that it lacked the power to authorize booster shots for this population before punting the decision back to the Food and Drug Administration.
The advisory board noted that some immunocompromised people are finding third doses of the shot on their own, and that this development is concerning.

Immunocompromised individuals — such as those with certain types of cancers — represent 44% of COVID breakthrough cases requiring hospitalization, despite representing less than 3% of the population.

That population is also more likely to experience severe symptoms of COVID-19, are at a higher risk of transmitting the virus to family and friends, and are more susceptible to testing positive for the highly-contagious Delta variant even after they have been fully vaccinated.

Those were just a few of the concerning facts and statistics that were shared on Thursday at a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which ended with the group stating that they lacked the power to approve a third booster shot for this high-risk population.

The advisory panel cannot recommend additional shots for anyone until the Food and Drug Administration grants full approval of the Covid vaccines or amends the emergency use authorizations.

A member of the CDC’s advisory group says that some immunocompromised people are finding third doses on their own.

“I am concerned about [immunocompromised patients getting a booster] in an unsupervised fashion, but as of right now it is due to regulatory issues,” the board member said. “We are not allowed to recommend additional doses to any patients so they are really just doing what they think is best.”

The board did seem to be in favor of the booster based on the presentation, with one slide noting: “Emerging data suggest that an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose in immunocompromised people enhances antibody response and increases the proportion who respond.”

There have been a handful of studies measuring the impact a booster or third shot has on those who are immunocompromised, and all suggested that they were effective in getting those individuals to produce more antibodies to fight COVID as the Delta variant surges through the U.S.

There has yet to be a study, however, with a sample size large enough to make a more concrete determination at this time.

The CDC and FDA are both in agreement that the general population does not need a booster shot at this time. That move seems to follow in line with guidance from the World Health Organization suggesting that the most efficient way to conquer this pandemic is worldwide vaccination.

The board will not meet again until next month, and it is unclear if the FDA will authorize that emergency use between now and then, with the Delta variant now accounting for 82% of COVID cases in the U.S.

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