This CDC resource provides an evidence-based resource for healthcare providers caring for patients with underlying medical conditions who are at higher risk of developing severe outcomes of COVID-19. Severe outcomes are defined as hospitalization, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), intubation or mechanical ventilation, or death.

Approved and authorized COVID-19 vaccines (initial doses and boosters) are safe and effective and should be administered to people at higher risk including people with some underlying medical conditions. Reassure patients that clinical trials demonstrated similar safety and efficacy profiles in people with some underlying medical conditions, including those that place them at higher risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms, compared to people without underlying medical conditions.