DHR Health announced Monday it has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to offer the fourth dose of the Pfizer vaccine to healthcare workers and immunocompromised patients. 

The DHR Health Institute for Research and Development has been granted expanded access by the FDA to offer the fourth dose of the Pfizer vaccine to healthcare workers, people above the age of 65 or people with an immunocompromised status. 

DHR Health says it's the first and only entity to receive this formal approval from the FDA to administer the fourth dose. 

"Recent clinical studies in Israel and other European countries have provided scientific evidence that the fourth dose of Pfizer COVID-19 mRNA vaccine affords enhanced protection against the Omicron variant” said DHR Health Institute for Research & Development CEO Dr. Sohail Rao. “Given that Omicron is the dominant variant which is responsible for the current spike in COVID-19 cases in the US, we are pleased to offer this option to continue to keep our community safe.”

Dr. Lisa Treviño, vice president of DHR Health Institute for Research and Development, says they began working with the FDA at the end of 2021 on a thorough application process that involved describing the patient population and those at highest risk. 

Treviño believes the Valley's history with COVID-19 played the biggest role in the emergency authorization on the fourth dose. 

"At the beginning of the pandemic, the mortality rate was unprecedented here, and it could be because of the comorbidities we see in our patient population," she said. "Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity."

The fourth dose can be administered 90 days after the third dose of the Pfizer vaccine. 

If you have recently tested positive for the virus, you can also receive the fourth dose 21 days after complete resolution of your symptoms, according to a news release from DHR Health. 

"As part of this protocol, the level of antibodies against the virus that causes COVID-19 will also be measured in the blood before administering the fourth dose and at frequent intervals thereafter and the results of these tests will be provided to the patient in a timely manner," the news release stated. 

If you're interested in receiving the fourth dose, call 956-362-2392, 956-362-2387 or send an email to dhrresearch@dhr-rgv.com.