Pfizer’s COVID vaccine to require third dose

The vaccine Pfizer which until now required two doses, you will now need a third one after 9 months of the second dose to strengthen vaccination against the coronavirus. The information has been confirmed by the company that manufactures the vaccine.

The doctor Ugur Sahin, co-founder of the German pharmaceutical company BioNTech, confirmed the news during a virtual meeting held this Wednesday with foreign correspondents accredited in Germany.

“Protection slowly decreases over time. We have data which indicates that at six months the protection is no longer 95% but 91%, and at eight months we see that the antibodies that produce the protection decrease markedly. This is why we need a third dose to bring the protection back to almost 100% ”, explained the businessman according to the agency EFE.

He also indicated that “The third dose at 9 months, or at the latest after one year, may contribute to protection in the form of a booster vaccination.” According to the German doctor, “probably every year or maybe every 18 months” a reapplication of the dose will be necessary, as with seasonal flu.

Meanwhile, the founder of BioNTech showed “of confidence” on the efficacy of its vaccine against the CCOVID-19 variant detected in India. Although tests in this regard are still ongoing, the director said “The Indian variant has mutations that have already been studied and against which the vaccine works, which gives confidence ”.

In the meantime, the possibility of a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine had been reported by the CEO of the laboratory, Albert Bourla, a few weeks ago in an interview in the United States. Also, recently, the US pharmaceutical company reported that the BioNTech / Pfizer formula is over 91% effective against the virus and over 95% effective against severe symptoms of the disease, and that this protection is maintained for at least six months after receiving the first dose.