Kendall County Health Department offering COVID-19 booster vaccines for immunocompromised individuals

The Kendall County Health Department is now offering free booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccination to immunocompromised individuals.

In a statement, the health department announced the booster doses are being offered alongside first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at the department’s weekly clinics at the county health department building at 811 West John Street in Yorkville.

Immunocompromised individuals who live or work in Kendall County can schedule an appointment on the Booster Dose portal on the health department’s website at http://www.kendallhealth.org/community-health/covid-19-vaccine/covid_vaccination_booster_appointment_portal/

The health department asks that anyone seeking a booster dose to first discuss it with their physician prior to scheduling an appointment. In addition, those scheduled to receive a booster dose will be required to sign an attestation form confirming their eligibility.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is recommending booster doses for immunocompromised individuals.

In their statement, health department officials noted that people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable to COVID-19, and may not build the same level of immunity to 2-dose vaccine series compared to people who are not immunocompromised. The booster dose is intended to improve immunocompromised people’s response to their initial vaccine series.

Although CDC does not recommend additional doses or booster shots for any other population at this time, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced a plan to begin offering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots this fall.

CDC recommends that people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems receive an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least 28 days after a second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. This includes people who have:

*Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood

*Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system

*Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years/are taking medicine to suppress the immune system

*Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)

*Advanced or untreated HIV infection

*Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response

In a related matter, the health department announced on Monday that 69,896 county residents, 54.64% of the county’s total population, is now fully vaccinated.