Donna Tovalin of Cypress got her fourth dose of the COVID vaccine this week.
She’s considered immunocompromised after receiving a kidney from her sister 17 years ago.
The CDC endorsed a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine in August for immunocompromised people, which is considered part of their first immunization series rather than a booster shot. Then, they said moderately and severely immunocompromised people could receive a booster shot, or a fourth dose of the vaccine, five months after their third dose. That means the time for people like Tovalin to get boosted is now.
For Tovalin, it’s allowing her to feel protected and return to normal activities.
“I was able to go see my mom (who is 89), and that was a big thing for me. I took the risk to be able to go see her, so that was a huge thing for me,” Tovalin explained.
Now, as hospitalizations are on the rise in our area, mostly among the unvaccinated, about half of the vaccinated breakthrough hospitalizations are immunocompromised patients. So, while Tovalin is grateful for the continued research on boosters, she’s also looking forward to new medications coming down the pipeline like Evusheld, which is made just for patients like her.
