On Wednesday, Pfizer CEO, Albert Bourla, said that people might need a fourth dose of the vaccine after preliminary research suggests that the new Omicron variant reduces some of the protection conferred from the Pfizer jab.
According to CNBC, Pfizer and BioNTech released results from an initial lab study that showed a third shot is effective at fighting the Omicron variant, while the initial two-dose vaccination produced a lesser response.
The companies went on to say that the two dose-series likely still offers protection against getting very sick from Omicron.
The new variant is spreading rapidly after its initial detection in Botswana, and was detected in the United States for the first time last week. The variant has been found in 19 states across the US since, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“When we see real-world data, [we will] determine if the omicron is well covered by the third dose and for how long. And the second point, I think we will need a fourth dose,” Bourla told CNBC’s “Squawk Box“.
He went on to say, “With omicron we need to wait and see because we have very little information. We may need it faster” after previously projecting that a fourth shot would be needed 12 months after the third dose, Business Insider adds.
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