TRIBUNNEWS.COM – Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said a fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine was needed to ward off another wave of coronavirus.
“Many variants are coming, and Omicron is the first to be able to evade the immune protection that we provide, in a skillful way,” Bourla said on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Sunday (3/13/2022).
“The protection we got from the third dose was pretty good, actually pretty good for hospitalization and death,” Bourla said.
“But protection after three doses was ‘not very good against infection’ and ‘not very long lasting’ when dealing with variants like Omicron.”
“That’s necessary, a fourth dose for now,” Bourla told CBS.
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Currently in the United States, residents 12 years of age and older who received a second dose of Pfizer vaccine at least five months ago can already get a third dose.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), anyone 18 years of age and older who gets two doses of Moderna vaccine should get a booster shot six months after the second dose.
Meanwhile, those receiving a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should receive a booster shot after two months, the CDC said.
Some people with moderate or severe immunity who have had three doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna Covid-19 vaccine can already get a fourth dose, according to the CDC.
But it’s not clear if or when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will certify the public for the fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
