At 81, Arthur Magee still works as a tax preparer despite battling cancer and his own fear of contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). So the Brooklyn resident didn’t hesitate when his physician at Northwell Health Cancer Institute recommended a third dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

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Dr. David Chiang receives a third dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine from Dr. Matthew Harris at Northwell Health Cancer Institute in New Hyde Park, NY, on August 17. Credit Northwell Health.

“I’ve had no side effects from the first two shots,” Mr. Magee, who was recently diagnosed with squamous cell cancer that required radiation for one side of his face and chemotherapy for his ear, told a crowd of reporters today at the Cancer Institute. “They’re working and I’m hoping that I’m around for next year.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Disease Control and Prevention and The New York State Department of Health have authorized third doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. The FDA called the extra dose an effective immunity boost for the immunocompromised. Northwell Health today began administering third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to immunocompromised patients, including two currently undergoing treatment at Northwell Health Cancer Institute.

“We see over 19,000 cancer patients every year and our cancer patients are amongst the most immunosuppressed in our health care system,” said Richard Barakat, MD, physician-in-chief and director of the Northwell Cancer Institute. “The sad reality of treating cancer patients is that the very treatments we use – whether it be chemotherapy or radiation treatments – affect each patient’s immune system. It is quite common for us to have to readmit patients who are actively getting treatment because they develop infections due to their compromised immune status.”

Enter the pandemic, which created a perfect storm for the estimated 4 percent of Americans who are considered immunocompromised. Dr. Barakat said COVID-19 has hit cancer patients particularly hard.

“Last spring at the height of the initial wave of the pandemic, we saw many cancer patients affected,” Dr. Barakat said. “Cancer patients who contract COVID-19 have a worse outcome than patients who do not have cancer. It is important as the new Delta variant spreads in a rapid manner throughout the United States that we address the needs of our cancer patients and providing them with a third dose of the vaccine.”

Another patient who received his third shot today is a practicing obstetrician in the midst of a five-year fight with lung cancer. David Chiang, MD, 60, of Lake Success, LI, was eager to get his third dose of Moderna vaccine, which Northwell provided. “I remember before the vaccines came out I was scared like everybody else,” Dr. Chiang said. “Now with the first shot, second shot – and for immunocompromised – a third shot gives me some peace of mind.”

Third doses will only be given to individuals 18 years of age or older for Moderna and 12 years and older for Pfizer who are immunocompromised. This includes anyone who has undergone solid organ transplantation or a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant, those who are receiving or recently received treatment for cancer, those with immune deficiency diseases, HIV, and use of medications that weaken the immune system such as corticosteroids and other medications such as those commonly used to treat conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis, among other conditions.

Matthew Harris, MD, medical director of Northwell’s COVID-19 vaccination program, said that solid organ tumor patients are 85 times more likely to contract COVID-19 – even those who have already received the two-dose vaccine regimen. They also are 485 times more likely to be hospitalized or die from the virus, highlighting the significance of the third dose shot.

“We take the next big step against the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Harris said of the booster. “Northwell Health has administered over 500,000 vaccines since the beginning of the vaccine program. We’re very proud of our role in this life-changing effort.”

Consult with a physician to see if you are eligible for a third vaccine shot. To make a vaccine appointment, go to: https://www.northwell.edu/coronavirus-covid-19/vaccine/locations

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About Northwell Health

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, 830 outpatient facilities and more than 16,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 76,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,800 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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