Click Here for Coronavirus & the Sjögren's Foundation Updates
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Following the September 22, 2021 authorization by the FDA for certain populations to obtain a Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 booster, the Sjögren’s Foundation recommends that all Sjögren’s patients who received the Pfizer mRNA vaccination obtain a single dose booster at least 6 months after completion of the primary series if they are:
- Age 65 or older
- 18 through 64 years of age and at high risk of severe disease
- 18 through 64 years of age and whose frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 puts them at high risk of serious complications of COVID-19
Determining whether a patient falls under the second category as someone between the age of 18 and 64 and at high risk of severe disease is a decision we recommend patients and doctors make together. As with the Foundation’s 3rd dose recommendation, Sjögren’s patients on immunosuppressive treatment or those who are immunocompromised because of another condition (see list of treatments and conditions in Foundation committee statement, Sjögren's Foundation COVID-19 Vaccination Committee Issues Recommendation on 3rd Dose for Sjögren's Patients | Sjögren’s Foundation (sjogrens.org) are considered at high risk of severe disease. Sjögren’s patients on immunosuppressive medication are reminded to check with their physician regarding the timing of the vaccine in relation to their medication dosing regimen.
All Sjögren’s patients engaged as healthcare personnel should receive a 3rd dose of the Pfizer vaccination immediately and regardless of age.
FDA guidance on boosters for the Moderna mRNA vaccine and the J&J vaccine are forthcoming and will be shared when available.
For the announcement on the FDA Authorization of Pfizer Booster, see:
FDA Authorizes Booster Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for Certain Populations | FDA
Sjögren’s COVID-19 Vaccination Committee
Chair:
Alan Baer, MD, Rheumatology and Director of Jerome L. Greene Sjögren’s Syndrome Center, Johns Hopkins, and Chair, Sjögren’s Foundation Medical & Scientific Advisory Council
Committee Members:
Cassandra Calabrese, DO, Rheumatology and Infectious Diseases, Cleveland Clinic
Steven Carsons, MD, Chief of Rheumatology, NYU Winthrop; Senior Associate Dean, Translational Science Integration; and Chair, NYU-Winthrop Vaccine Center for Treatment and Evaluation
Nancy Carteron, MD, Rheumatology and Immunology, University of California San Francisco and Sjögren’s Center, University of California Berkeley
Katherine M. Hammitt, MA, Vice President, Medical & Scientific Affairs, Sjögren's Foundation
Marie Wahren-Herlenius, PhD, Professor of Experimental Rheumatology and Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
Click Here for Coronavirus & the Sjögren's Foundation Updates
Click Here to View as a PDF
Following the September 22, 2021 authorization by the FDA for certain populations to obtain a Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 booster, the Sjögren’s Foundation recommends that all Sjögren’s patients who received the Pfizer mRNA vaccination obtain a single dose booster at least 6 months after completion of the primary series if they are:
Determining whether a patient falls under the second category as someone between the age of 18 and 64 and at high risk of severe disease is a decision we recommend patients and doctors make together. As with the Foundation’s 3rd dose recommendation, Sjögren’s patients on immunosuppressive treatment or those who are immunocompromised because of another condition (see list of treatments and conditions in Foundation committee statement, Sjögren's Foundation COVID-19 Vaccination Committee Issues Recommendation on 3rd Dose for Sjögren's Patients | Sjögren’s Foundation (sjogrens.org) are considered at high risk of severe disease. Sjögren’s patients on immunosuppressive medication are reminded to check with their physician regarding the timing of the vaccine in relation to their medication dosing regimen.
All Sjögren’s patients engaged as healthcare personnel should receive a 3rd dose of the Pfizer vaccination immediately and regardless of age.
FDA guidance on boosters for the Moderna mRNA vaccine and the J&J vaccine are forthcoming and will be shared when available.
For the announcement on the FDA Authorization of Pfizer Booster, see:
FDA Authorizes Booster Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for Certain Populations | FDA
Sjögren’s COVID-19 Vaccination Committee
Chair:
Alan Baer, MD, Rheumatology and Director of Jerome L. Greene Sjögren’s Syndrome Center, Johns Hopkins, and Chair, Sjögren’s Foundation Medical & Scientific Advisory Council
Committee Members:
Cassandra Calabrese, DO, Rheumatology and Infectious Diseases, Cleveland Clinic
Steven Carsons, MD, Chief of Rheumatology, NYU Winthrop; Senior Associate Dean, Translational Science Integration; and Chair, NYU-Winthrop Vaccine Center for Treatment and Evaluation
Nancy Carteron, MD, Rheumatology and Immunology, University of California San Francisco and Sjögren’s Center, University of California Berkeley
Katherine M. Hammitt, MA, Vice President, Medical & Scientific Affairs, Sjögren's Foundation
Marie Wahren-Herlenius, PhD, Professor of Experimental Rheumatology and Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, Karolinska Institute, Sweden