Here’s why you might need a third COVID vaccine, says Pfizer CEO

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine has shown remarkable results so far, with a December 2020 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that it is 94.6% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID infection after two doses. However, in a new interview with NBC News, the CEO of Pfizer now says that a third shot may be necessary to gain full protection. Read on to find out why you might need a third vaccine, and for more information on vaccination, check out This Another Vaccine Could Already Protect You From COVID, Study Finds.

In an interview with NBC News Lester holt, CEO of Pfizer Albert Bourla explained that by adding an additional third booster shot to the recommended two-dose vaccine, individuals will benefit from better protection against the highly infectious variants of COVID that have recently been identified. “We believe that the third dose will increase the antibody response 10 to 20 times,” said Bourla.

Pfizer Scientific Director Mikael dolsten, MD, recently told Reuters: “The rate of mutations in the current virus is higher than expected. It is reasonable to believe that we will end up with steady increases.”

A preprint of a January study by BioNTech, which worked with Pfizer to create the vaccine, found the doses to be effective against B.1.1.7. variant from the UK, which is expected to become the dominant strain in the US in March. But that may not be true with all mutations in the virus. For example, a February report from Pfizer and BioNTech, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that the South African variant can reduce the protective antibodies caused by the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by about two-thirds.

To prevent future generalized coronavirus infections, Pfizer plans to test the effectiveness of modified versions of the company’s existing vaccine against mutations, starting with the South African variant. And if you want to know more about the latest vaccine, these are the side effects of the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to the FDA.

While it may have taken more than a year for the COVID vaccine to become available in the United States, the development of future boosters to fight coronavirus mutants is not expected to take that long. On February 22, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that vaccine companies could potentially file Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for future coronavirus vaccines instead of conducting additional large clinical trials. ladder. “In the case of experimental vaccines under development for the prevention of COVID-19, any assessment regarding an EUA will be made on a case-by-case basis,” the FDA statement read. And for more vaccine advice from the country’s major agencies, check out The CDC says not to do this within 2 weeks of your COVID vaccine.

Pfizer is currently investigating the effectiveness of administering a third shot, and in a statement this week, Moderna said the company is also “evaluating vaccine booster doses to increase neutralizing immunity against variants of concern,” including the South African variant. (Additionally, Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, which is expected to be approved for emergency use by the FDA this week, has been shown to be quite effective in clinical trials in South Africa itself, where it was 82% against critical illness.) As with your first and second doses, your booster will likely come from the same company as your initial vaccinations.

While the precise time frame for the most effective administration of the third shot has yet to be definitively determined, the time between participants’ first shot and their recall in the final Pfizer trials is six months to one year, reports NBC News. And for the latest COVID news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

While getting your initial COVID vaccinations – whether it’s one, two, or maybe now three – is a good first step towards containing the pandemic, Bourla explained that it likely won’t be a one-time deal. . “Every year you have to go get your flu shot. It will be the same with COVID, ”Bourla said. And if you’re still looking for a date, check out You will be able to get vaccinated at any Walgreens by that date.