According to recent comments from David Kessler, chief science officer of President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 task force, and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, booster shots against the Covid-19 coronavirus may become a regular necessity.
Kessler said at a House Congressional Committee meeting today that booster shots may be needed within a year and that “those who are more vulnerable should go first” to get them. The reason, he said, is that the immunity provided by the vaccine can wane over time and be “challenged” by new variants of the virus.
The head of Pfizer, the maker of one of the covid-19 vaccines approved for emergency use in the US, said in a recent interview that it is “likely” that people will need a third booster shot of their vaccine within 12 months. to have. Bourla also left open the possibility that annual shootings against the coronavirus could be a reality.
Bourla’s statements were made during an interview with CNBC, as part of an event jointly organized by CVS Health. The event was broadcast on Thursday, but took place two weeks ago, on April 1. In discussing the potential long-term protection offered by the Pfizer’s vaccine, Bourla highlighted other vaccine-preventable viral diseases, such as polio and influenza, that require different vaccination schedules. And in the case of the coronavirus, it’s likely closer to the flu, which requires annual vaccination.
“One likely scenario is that a third dose would probably be needed somewhere between six and 12 months and from there there would be an annual revaccination,” Bourla said.
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The comparable mRNA-based vaccines made by Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna are highly effective (over 90%) in preventing covid-19 disease, especially severe illness and death. And more recent real-world evidence has suggested that they are about as effective at preventing infection and significantly reducing the risk of transmission. The Wall Street Journal was published earlier today reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have so far identified only 5,800 “breakthrough” cases of the 66 million Americans who received a Covid-19 vaccine, an infection rate of less than 0.008%. Of these rare cases among fully vaccinated people, a third were asymptomatic, 7% required hospitalization, and about 1% died – a total of 74 deaths. In comparison, about 1,000 people died every day from covid-19 in the US this spring, with more than 3,000 people dying every day during the winter peak.
Other research has suggested that reinfection is rare in people naturally infected at least three months later, while recent data from Pfizer’s clinical studies suggests that immunity remains strong for at least six months. It is certainly possible that these vaccines will provide lasting protection even longer.
Our current vaccines still are widely effective against several variants of the coronavirus that have surfaced in recent months, but some (such as B.135, first found in South Africa) seem slightly better at evading immunity than others. And even before these variants were widespread, scientists warned that the coronavirus could meaningfully mutate in a way that could evade immunity from natural infection or vaccination.
Both Pfizer and Moderna are currently conducting tests of a booster strategy against B.135, and Moderna is also testing a modified dose of its vaccine designed to target the variant specifically. Ultimately, however, the best long-term solution to our covid woes will likely be a universal vaccine that could effectively target all future strains of viruses – a plan that scientists are already working on, said Anthony Fauci, who also spoke for members of the House on Thursday.