Britain to give third COVID-19 vaccine doses to immunosuppressed

LONDON - Britain will give severely immunosuppressed people a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to increase their chances of generating a better immune response, although officials stressed the offer was separate from any broader booster vaccine programme.

With the move, Britain follows the United States, which last month authorised a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer Inc-BioNTech and Moderna Inc for people with compromised immune systems who are likely to have weaker protection from two-dose regimens. Public Health England on Wednesday said the decision to offer third doses to the immunosuppressed followed data that showed 40% of immunosuppressed people generated only low levels of antibodies from two vaccine shots.