Third Covid-19 vaccine likely necessary, researchers say

Researchers still are uncertain as to how long protection against the virus lasts once someone has been fully vaccinated.

By World Israel News Staff

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people will “likely” need a third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated, CNBC reported.

It is also possible they will require an annual vaccination, he said.

His remarks were made over two weeks ago but made public only on Thursday, according to CNBC.

“We need to see what would be the sequence, and for how often we need to do that,,” he told the business news site during an event with CVS Health.

“A likely scenario is that there will be likely a need for a third dose, somewhere between six and 12 months and then from there, there will be an annual revaccination, but all of that needs to be confirmed,” he explained. “And again, the variants will play a key role.”

“It is extremely important to suppress the pool of people that can be susceptible to the virus,” Bourla warned.

Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky told CNBC in February that people may need to get vaccinated against Covid-19 annually, just like seasonal flu shots, CNBC noted.

Researchers remain uncertain as to how long protection against the virus lasts once someone has been fully vaccinated.

Earlier this month, CNBC continues, Pfizer said its vaccine was more than 91% effective at protecting against the coronavirus and more than 95% effective against severe disease up to six months after the second dose, basing its data on more than 12,000 vaccinated individuals.

More data is still needed to determine whether protection lasts after six months, the researchers say.