Georgia Department of Public Health has issued guidance in providing additional COVID-19 doses. Based on the guidance District 2 Public Health has received, we will begin working with our health departments to administer the additional dose to immunocompromised individuals as early as today, August 19, 2021. The additional dose has been approved for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines only and is not currently approved for the Janssen and Janssen (J&J) one-dose vaccine.
This is an additional dose for individuals that have specific health conditions that limit their ability to make antibodies to fight off COVID-19 with only two doses of the vaccine, this is not a booster dose for the general population. To receive the additional dose per the Georgia Department of Public Health guidelines, our health departments will require a signed doctor’s statement that includes the specific health condition a person is experiencing. To obtain the forms needed for documentation from your doctor, visit phdistrict2.org.
The additional vaccine dose should be considered for people with moderate to severe immune compromise due to a medical condition, or receipt of immunosuppressive medications or treatments. This includes people who have:
- Active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
- Receipt of a 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 (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
- Advanced or untreated HIV infection
- Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids (≥20mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blockers, and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory
District 2 health departments will administer additional doses on a walk-in basis. At this time, no appointments will be required, and all additional doses will be available at all District 2 health departments.
For a location near you visit www.phdistrict2.org and click on locations.
The health department hours of operation are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesday 8:00 am to 7:00 pm and Friday 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. They are closed every day for lunch from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm.
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