Bill Gates said it might take a t …

The founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, warned that a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine may be needed before the emergence of different variants that could affect the effects of vaccination.

“A third dose of the coronavirus vaccine may be needed to prevent severe cases of new variants of the disease. The discussion now is whether we just need to get very high coverage of the current vaccine, or do we need a third dose that is the same, or do we need a modified vaccine, ”he said. the mogul told CBS Evening News.

He also clarified that the five companies that have vaccines in the US “are considering making this change and adding it” in case people who have already received two injections “need a third”.

“I think we’ll probably have a suitable vaccine just to make sure that when these variants get to the United States, they don’t escape protection,” he added.

A lab study recently found that a South African variant of the coronavirus can reduce neutralizing antibodies generated by Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines by two-thirds.

Bill Gates is funding research in South Africa to determine whether AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax vaccines are effective against this variant.

“AstraZeneca in particular has a challenge with the variant, and the other two, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax, are a little less effective, but still strong enough to come out as quickly as possible while we study this idea of ​​adapting the vaccine. Gates concludes.