The United States is preparing for the possibility that a booster shot will be needed between nine and twelve months after people are initially vaccinated against COVID-19, a White House official said Thursday.
Although the duration of immunity after vaccination is being studied, booster vaccines may be needed, said David Kessler, chief scientist of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 response working group at a committee meeting. Congress.
“The current thinking is that those who are most vulnerable will have to go first,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pfizer Inc. (PFE.N) chief executive Albert Bourla said people would “probably” need a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine booster within 12 months and that they might need annual shots. made public Thursday. (https://cnb.cx/2Q4MXS1)
Initial data have shown that the vaccines of Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) and its partners Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and BioNTech SE retain most of their effectiveness for at least six months, although no determined by how long. Read more
Even if this protection lasts well over six months, experts have said that the rapid spread of coronavirus and other variants that may arise could lead to the need to make regular booster shots similar to annual vaccines against grip.
The United States is also tracking infections in people who have been completely vaccinated, Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the House subcommittee hearing.
Of 77 million people vaccinated in the United States, there have been 5,800 such advanced infections, Walensky said, including 396 people who needed hospitalization and 74 who died.
Walensky said some of these infections have occurred because the vaccinated person did not produce a strong immune response. But the concern is that in some cases they occur in people infected with more contagious virus variants.
Earlier this month, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said their vaccine was about 91% effective in preventing COVID-19, citing updated data from trials that included more than 12,000 people fully inoculated for at least six months. Read more
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