April 15 (Reuters) – The United States is preparing for the
possibility that a booster shot is needed between nine o’clock
12 months after people are initially vaccinated
COVID-19, a White House official said Thursday.
While the duration of immunity is after vaccination
studied may require booster vaccines, David Kessler, chief
science officer for President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 response task
Force told a conference committee meeting.
“The current thinking is that those who are more vulnerable want that
must go first, ”he said.
Meanwhile, Pfizer Inc. Chief Executive Albert Bourla
said people “likely” need a third booster dose of COVID-19
vaccines within 12 months and may require annual shots, CNBC
reported based on his April 1 comments, which were made
audience on Thursday. (https://cnb.cx/2Q4MXS1)
Initial data showed that vaccines from Moderna Inc
and partners Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE
maintain most of their effectiveness for at least six
months, but how long has not yet been determined.
Even if that protection lasts much longer than six months,
experts have said that fast-spreading variants of the
coronavirus and others that can occur can lead to the emergency
for regular booster shots similar to annual flu shots.
The United States also monitors infections in people who have
are fully vaccinated, Rochelle Walensky, director of the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told the House
hearing of the subcommittee.
Of the 77 million people vaccinated there in the United States
have been 5,800 such breakthrough infections, Walensky said,
including 396 people who had to be hospitalized and 74 who
died.
Walensky said some of these infections have occurred because
the vaccinated person did not receive a strong immune response.
But the concern is that in some cases they occur in
people infected with more contagious virus variants.
Earlier this month, Pfizer and partner BioNTech arrived
said their vaccine was about 91% effective at preventing it
COVID-19, citing updated pilot data exceeding
12,000 people have been fully vaccinated for at least six months.
(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru and Julie Steenhuysen
in Chicago, additional reporting by Mrinalika Roy; Edit by
Bill Berkrot and Arun Koyyur)