ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now calling on those with moderate or severely compromised immune systems to get an additional COVID vaccine booster shot with the delta variant on the rise. 

This is not only aimed at providing another layer of protection for the elderly but also those with HIV, AIDS, cancer, and transplant patients leading to weakened immune systems so they’re unable to build the necessary level of immunity to avoid becoming another breakthrough case.  

More than 40% of those fully vaccinated but hospitalized in breakthrough COVID cases have been labeled to be immunocompromised. Organizers with the Rochester group Lifespan believe a third booster shot for people in this group will be key protection.  

“Most of the older adults we talked to would be excited to get a booster shot,” Lifespan President Ann-Marie Cook said. “So, in our area, older adults have had high rates of vaccinations. Around 85% and I think they would welcome a booster.”  

CDC Guidelines advise you to wait at least four weeks to get the additional dose after completing the primary vaccine series and it must be the same type of vaccine you first got. A process that needs to work around those with limited transportation access.  

“Older adults living in nursing homes got the vaccines first and the vaccine was brought to them at the nursing home, which obviously needs to happen again for the booster shots,” Cook added. “But we also had a lot of public access points at convention centers, the fleet center, the Domina.”  

No official plan has been launched yet, but county leaders claim to be ready when the time comes.  

“The county is fully prepared to help with the Booster dose when those are available to the larger population,” Monroe County Executive Adam Bello stated. “We still have maintained even though the vaccination numbers have slowed down over the past several months we have maintained our footprint of vaccination clinics.” 

Leaders of Lifespan and UR Doctors add booster shots for others can further guarantee fewer breakthrough cases will come, and the Delta Variant strain can eventually die down.  

A booster shot of the vaccine can also give off the same side effects as the second dose did. Across the nation, 3% of adults in the US have some form of a condition making them immunocompromised.