People will “likely” need a third dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated, the company’s CEO said in a televised interview. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said there is also a possibility that people might need annual vaccinations against Covid-19.
Researchers are yet to determine for how long vaccines can provide protection against the novel coronavirus.
In a study published earlier this month, Pfizer said its jab is more than 91 per cent effective in protecting against Covid-19. It also asserted that the vaccine is 95 per cent effective against severe cases of infection up to six months after the second dose.
On Thursday, news agency Reuters quoted a White House official as saying that the US is preparing for the possibility that a booster shot will be needed between nine and 12 months.
Booster shot likely: Biden’s Covid-19 task force
Chief science officer for US President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 task force, David Kessler told the House Coronavirus Crisis Subcommittee, “The current thinking is those who are more vulnerable will have to go first.”
“We are studying the durability of the antibody response,” Kessler said adding that it seems strong but there is no doubt that variants of the virus pose challenges.
David Kessler went on to add, “I think for planning purposes, planning purposes only, I think we should expect that we may have to boost.”
Possibility of annual revaccination: Pfizer CEO
“We need to see what would be the sequence, and for how often we need to do that, that remains to be seen,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC in an interview recorded on April 1.
He added, “A likely scenario is that there will be likely a need for a third dose, somewhere between six and 12 months and then from there, there will be an annual revaccination, but all of that needs to be confirmed.”
The Pfizer chief also said that variants of Covid-19 will play a “key role”. He went on to add, “It is extremely important to suppress the pool of people that can be susceptible to the virus.”
US pharma giant Pfizer has partnered with German company BioNTech to produce a vaccine that claims to be 91 per cent effective in preventing coronavirus.
(With inputs from Reuters, AFP)