Vaccines will “probably” need a third shot of Pfizer within twelve months, followed by annual shots

The CEO of Pfizer said it is “likely” that people vaccinated with the company’s COVID-19 inoculation will need a third shot within 12 months after receiving the initial two doses and potentially need a new shot. every year.

Albert Bourla, the head of the pharmaceutical giant, made the comments earlier this month in an interview with CNBC that went public on Thursday. To date, more than 102 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been distributed in the United States and more than 38 million people have been completely vaccinated.

“A likely scenario is that there will probably be a need for a third dose, between six and twelve months, and from there there will be an annual revaccination, but all of that needs to be confirmed,” Bourla said. during the event. He added: “There are vaccines like polio where one dose is enough and there are vaccines like the flu that you need every year.”

Bourla added that COVID-19 looks more like the flu than a virus like polio.

Reuters reported Thursday that the White House is preparing for Americans to need booster shots nine to twelve months after the initial vaccination, while scientists continue to study how long inoculations provide protection against coronavirus. Initial data has shown that those receiving Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna features have protection for at least six months, but the abbreviated vaccine development schedule means researchers still do not have firm answers when it comes to long-term protection. .

Modern said this week that she was also working on reinforcement shots, which would be ready for fall.

“We believe we will all need to increase,” Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, told CNBC.

One of the main concerns, however, is the spread of COVID-19 variants in the United States and abroad. These strains are now the most common source of infection in the US

Pfizer said in February that it would begin testing a booster shot to see if it expands protection, as well as upgrading its original vaccine to better prevent coronavirus mutation infection.

“We are taking multiple steps to act decisively and be prepared in case a strain is resistant to the protection the vaccine offers,” Bourla said at the time.