Pfizer CEO announces 3rd vaccine dose likely needed within 12 months
“It is extremely important to suppress the pool of people that can be susceptible to the virus,” said CEO Albert Bourla
According to Pfizer, you may need to prepare for a third vaccine shot.
Comments taped on April 1 but released on Thursday by Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla revealed vaccinated citizens will probably need another shot within 12 months of the second dose, per CNBC.
“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. And again, the variants will play a key role,” Bourla said during a CVS Health event to CNBC’s Bertha Coombs.
“It is extremely important to suppress the pool of people that can be susceptible to the virus.”
Read More: Four Black medical schools get $6M to widen vaccine outreach
Based on a study conducted on 12,000 vaccinated participants, the vaccine is 91% effective against the coronavirus. It is 95% effective against preventing severe disease for about six months after both doses are received. But experts admit new strains are a “challenge” and they do not have all the answers surrounding the vaccine.
“We don’t know everything at this moment,” said David Kessler to the Coronavirus Crisis House Select Subcommittee.
“We are studying the durability of the antibody response,” he added. “It seems strong but there is some waning of that and no doubt the variants challenge … they make these vaccines work harder. So I think for planning purposes, planning purposes only, I think we should expect that we may have to boost.”
According to theGrio, Pfizer is working to expand the vaccine to tweens.
On Friday, the drug company put in a request to the Food and Drug Administration to adjust its emergency use authorization to children ages 12 to 15. When the FDA originally greenlit the authorization it was for individuals ages 16 and up, per NBC News.
Read More: US recommends ‘pause’ for Johnson & Johnson vaccine over clot reports
CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement: “The hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year.”
Pfizer-BioNTech discovered last week in Phase 3 clinical trials the vaccine was 100% effective in 12- to-15-year-olds.
A pediatric infectious disease expert at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, Dr. Buddy Creech said this is the next step in the fight against the virus.
“Vaccinating our teenagers is the next step in seeing our way through the pandemic.”
He added: “By extending the age groups that can receive vaccine, we can continue our efforts to protect those that are most vulnerable: older adults as well as adults and teenagers with underlying medical conditions.”
The company is now researching the effects of the virus in children six months to 11 years old. A new trial started in March.
As of now, Pfizer is the only vaccine for teens ages 16 and over.
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