Tips if you are considering a 3rd dose of the COVID vaccine with Parkinson's disease
One of the most common questions we receive is whether I should get a 3rd dose of the COVID-19 vaccine if I have Parkinson’s disease. Check out our recent video tip of the day on tips if you are considering a 3rd dose of the COVID-19 vaccine with Parkinson’s disease.
We recommend following the CDC guidelines for a 3rd dose and if you have any of the following below you should strongly consider a 3rd dose and discuss with your doctor and with your healthcare team.
Active treatment for solid tumor and hematologic malignancies
Receipt of solid-organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy
Receipt of CAR-T-cell or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within 2 years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy)
Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (e.g., DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
Advanced or untreated HIV infection
Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids (i.e., ≥20mg prednisone or equivalent per day), alkylating agents, antimetabolites, transplant-related immunosuppressive drugs, cancer chemotherapeutic agents classified as severely immunosuppressive, tumor-necrosis (TNF) blockers, and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory.
The Biden administration announced today that nursing home residents, healthcare workers, and others vaccinated early will be the first eligible to receive a 3rd booster shot (8 months after their first shot). After this group has accessed the booster the plan will be to make the 3rd dose available to the general population (8 months after the first dose).
If you have Parkinson’s and do not qualify for a 3rd dose based on the CDC recommendations— then you should meet with your doctor or healthcare provider and have a discussion about the risks and benefits of a 3rd booster dose. You should discuss whether there are other factors that may make a third dose wise (the presence of other serious medical illnesses for example).
If you are still worried about exposure to COVID-19 and worried about having adequate vaccine protection— ask your doctor or healthcare provider to check your antibodies to COVID-19. The absence of (or low) antibodies, measured on a reliable test, could be an indication supporting the use of a 3rd booster shot.
