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Ipswich Offering Third Dose Vaccine

Posted on: August 30, 2021 - 4:01pm
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Update 10/27/2021 - Ipswich clinics have now expanded their hours and will be held from 1-6 pm.
 
Updated 9/24/2021 - In addition to the general information about the Ipswich clinic, you will find an update relating to vaccine booster doses at the end of this announcement.
 
The Town of Salisbury would like its residents to know about an opportunity being provided through the Town of Ipswich to get third dose COVID-19 Pfizer vaccinations.
 
Ipswich Town Manager Anthony Marino and Director of Public Health Colleen Fermon are pleased to announce that town vaccination clinics have been authorized to offer a third dose of Pfizer vaccine to eligible individuals.
 
People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised are more likely to have serious disease with COVID-19 and are less likely to develop adequate immunity in response to the two-dose series of Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.
 
An additional dose is recommended for people who have received a primary series of either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, and who have moderate to severe immune compromise due to a medical condition or receipt of immunosuppressive medications or treatments.
 
These conditions and treatments include but are not limited to:
  • Active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood
  • Organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
  • Stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or 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
Eligible individuals interested in receiving a third dose are asked to speak to their medical provider before attending a clinic. Medical providers may have specific recommendations for their patients, such as stopping a medication before receiving the vaccine. Town clinic staff cannot offer individualized medical guidance.
 
It is recommended that such individuals receive an additional dose of the same vaccine given in their primary series. If not available, the other mRNA vaccine may be given. There is currently no CDC recommendation about the need for a second dose of Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine.
 
A third dose of vaccine differs from a booster shot. A third dose provides additional protection to those who had an insufficient immune response to the two-dose series because of a compromised immune system. Booster shots are provided to those who had a sufficient immune response, but which has waned over time. Booster doses are not currently available, and the Town is awaiting further guidance from federal authorities.
 
Vaccination clinics are open to anyone age 12 and older who lives, works, or studies in Massachusetts. Clinics are held on Mondays at Our Lady of Hope rectory, 1 Pine Swamp Road. Register here. Please choose the "second dose" option because the registration system has not been updated yet.
 
Clinics are schedule on Mondays through end of 2021, with the exception of Labor Day (Sept. 6) and Indigenous Peoples Day (Oct. 11).
 

What’s the difference between a booster dose and a third dose?

Sometimes people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised do not build enough (or any) protection when they first get a vaccination. When this happens, getting another dose of the vaccine can sometimes help them build more protection against the disease. This appears to be the case for some immunocompromised people and COVID-19 vaccines. CDC recommends moderately to severely immunocompromised people consider receiving a (third) dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) at least 28 days after the completion of the initial 2-dose mRNA COVID-19 vaccine series.

In contrast, a “booster dose” refers to another dose of a vaccine that is given to someone who built enough protection after vaccination, but then that protection decreased over time (this is called waning immunity).

We are offering third doses at the Our Lady of Hope Clinic on Mondays.  We are not offering booster doses yet.  We are awaiting written documentation form the CDC