Pfizer, Moderna Say Booster Shots Probably Needed By Ralph Ellis
April 16, 2021 People who’ve received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccines will probably need a booster shot this year, top executives for those two pharmaceutical companies said this week.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people who’ve gotten both doses would likely need a third shot within 12 months and might need an annual shot thereafter. There are vaccines . like polio that one dose is enough, there are vaccines like pneumococcal vaccine that one dose is enough for adults, and there are vaccines like flu that you need every year, Bourla said on a CVS Health Live event, “Race to Vaccinate.” The COVID virus looks more like the influenza virus than the polio virus.
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Moderna said it hopes to provide COVID-19 vaccine booster shots in the US by the end of the year.
Booster shots are designed to protect against coronavirus variants that cause COVID-19.
The spread of variants and slow vaccine rollouts have led to a rise in cases globally.
COVID-19 vaccinations aren t stopping anytime soon.
Moderna said on Wednesday that Americans could start getting booster shots later this year to protect against coronavirus variants. It is likely that the countries that have already achieved high vaccine coverage are going to be ready to shift their focus to boosters in 2022 and possibly even starting at the end of this year, Corinne M. Le Goff, Moderna s chief commercial officer, said during a call with investors.