April 15 (Reuters) – The United States is preparing for the
possibility that a booster shot will be needed between nine to
12 months after people are initially vaccinated against
COVID-19, a White House official said on Thursday.
While the duration of immunity after vaccination is being
studied, booster vaccines could be needed, David Kessler, chief
science officer for President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 response task
force told a congressional committee meeting.
“The current thinking is those who are more vulnerable will
have to go first,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pfizer Inc Chief Executive Albert Bourla
said people will ‘likely’ need a third booster dose of COVID-19
vaccines within 12 months and could need annual shots, CNBC
reported based on his comments from April 1, which were made
public on Thursday. (https://cnb.cx/2Q4MXS1)
Initial data has shown that vaccines from Moderna Inc
and partners Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE
retain most of their effectiveness for at least six
months, though for how much longer has not been determined.
Even if that protection lasts far longer than six months,
experts have said that rapidly spreading variants of the
coronavirus and others that may emerge could lead to the need
for regular booster shots similar to annual flu shots.
The United States is also tracking infections in people who
have been fully vaccinated, Rochelle Walensky, director of the
U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention told the House
subcommittee hearing.
Of 77 million people vaccinated in the United States, there
have been 5,800 such breakthrough infections, Walensky said,
including 396 people who required hospitalization and 74 who
died.
Walensky said some of these infections have occurred because
the vaccinated person did not mount a strong immune response.
But the concern is that in some cases, they are occurring in
people infected by more contagious virus variants.
Earlier this month, Pfizer and partner BioNTech
said their vaccine was around 91% effective in preventing
COVID-19, citing updated trial data that included more than
12,000 people fully inoculated for at least six months.
(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru and Julie Steenhuysen
in Chicago, additional reporting by Mrinalika Roy; Editing by
Bill Berkrot and Arun Koyyur)
April 16, 2021 at 03:40AM
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