Last week, Pfizer and BioNTech asked U.S. regulators to authorize another booster dose for seniors. The second shot is only for people over 65 years old. That age group felt the effects of the virus the hardest. The FDA and CDC would have to approve the request. If so, the next question is when the seniors would receive the next shot? Currently, vaccinations are the most potent form of protection against severe illness. Right now, COVID-19 cases are dropping after the scary Omicron surge. But if experts keep their eyes open to new variants and future defense.
On Sunday, Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla explained Pfizer’s plan to CBS during “Face the Nation.” “The protection that you are getting from the third, it is good enough, actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths. It’s not that good against infections,” he said. “But we are just submitting those data to the FDA and then we will see what the experts also will say outside Pfizer.”
The Pfizer Booster Shot Is Necessary
Calls for a third shot grew once scientists realized the two-dose vaccine wasn’t as potent against the omicron mutant. The main goal for the vaccine was to prevent severe illness, which data proves is happening. During the omicron wave, effectiveness against hospitalization was 91% in people who had gotten their booster two months earlier and 78% by the fourth month after that booster.
Pfizer based their request on data from Israel. Israel has already started offering a second booster to people age 60 and older and healthcare workers. Initially, data didn’t provide a clear answer on whether there was a benefit of the fourth shot and for how long? But last week, an analysis of health records of over one million Israeli seniors confirmed infections were two times lower. Also, the rates of severe illness were four times lower among those who got the second booster shot instead of one. Lastly, Pfizer mentioned an ongoing study of healthcare workers that displayed a jump in virus-fighting antibodies. Presently, a fourth dose is only recommended for those with severely weakened immune systems in the U.S.
