 After the recent COVID-19 surge in Pike County, some may be wondering if they'll qualify for a third shot or a booster of the COVID-19 vaccine. But what is the difference? So let's talk about the difference between the third dose and the booster. So what's the difference between the third dose that we're all talking about and the booster for COVID-19? The third dose is really we're looking at a change in dosing for both Moderna and Pfizer for a very specific population, the immunocompromised, moderately to severely immunocompromised. So if you were walking through public health front doors today for your very first vaccine for COVID, we would ask you a few questions and determine if you had a normal immune system and would require two doses or are you an immunocompromised individual and would require three doses. And for those that would need three doses, they were allowed to play catch up to come in and get their third dose. But under normal circumstances, you would come in, you would get your initial vaccine, you would wait three to four weeks to get your second vaccine. And then if you're immunocompromised, you would come back four weeks later and get a third vaccine. Here at Pikeville Medical Center's Heart and Vascular Institute, we have assembled a comprehensive team of cardiac specialists bringing expertise from all regions of the nation and the world. We have coupled that with cutting edge technology, providing them the best equipment and operating rooms available. The result is comprehensive cardiac care for the people of our region that is second to none. The Heart and Vascular Institute at Pikeville Medical Center. Under the emergency use authorization, third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna are approved for immunocompromised patients. Since the FDA's recent approval of the Pfizer vaccine, 65 and older and those at high risk are approved for a third dose. A booster is a vaccine that would be necessary for a specific population that would have waning immune response from their original vaccine series. So the FDA was looking at Pfizer and they were looking at studies and data and determining if immune response was waning enough six months, eight months out from the initial vaccine series to authorize a booster vaccine. Now that was their decision. They determined that if you had had a Pfizer, not Moderna, but a Pfizer vaccine and it had been six months or longer and you fit a specific category 65 years of age or older, working in high risk public areas where you would be exposed, that you would qualify for a booster. But we are waiting on ASIP's final approval and recommendations for how to administer that booster. For Mountain Top News, I'm Joel Korjol.