CDC recommends as many as four COVID-19 shots within six months for some immunocompromised patients

The federal government is now recommending people with weakened immune systems get four COVID-19 vaccinations shots, in a period perhaps as short as 140 days.

The recommendation was made in recent, updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and suggests those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised get a primary series of Moderna or Pfizer shots, followed by an additional one as early as 28 days later. Those patients would  then get a second booster as soon as three months after the third dose, according to the Epoch Times.

Following the Feb. 11 guidance would result in a person getting as many as four shots in less than six months.

CDC officials recently told the agency’s vaccine advisory committee that shortening the time between doses can bolster their protections. 

"The rationale for this decision was out of an abundance of caution to help this population that may not be as well protected get their booster dose sooner, particularly with concerns about initial immune response, loss of protection over time, and high community transmission due to the Omicron variant," Elisha Hall, a health education specialist at the CDC, told committee members.

Some institutions, including the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, have already begun allowing immunocompromised people to get booster doses based on the new schedule, the newspaper also reports.

The Epoch Times story did not include any comments in opposition to the guidance.

"In the past two months, I’ve seen many of these immunocompromised patients, who had followed all the rules, still have significant breakthrough infections. And I really think that this will help dramatically," said Dr. Camille Kotton, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.