The Federal Drug Administration has authorized a second booster shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for people over 50 years of age, but some health experts are questioning if the extra dose is necessary.
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Dr. Sean Liu, medical director of COVID-19 clinical trials and co-investigator on Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines trials at Mount Sinai, told KCBS Radio's "Ask An Expert" he is uncertain if all people over the age of 50 need a fourth dose.
"About 40% of Americans have received a third dose and now that there’s a fourth dose there’s a lot of questions about whether it's really necessary or not," he said.
Liu explained his uncertainty stems from the data the FDA based their authorization off of, describing it as "not as solid" as the initial phase three studies for Pfizer or Moderna.
"The initial studies had about 30 to 40 thousand people for each one of those phase three studies in a randomized placebo-controlled study. The data that's being authorized for the fourth dose is not as concrete as the original data was based off of," he said.
For those who are immunocompromised Liu said additional vaccinations are beneficial, but for all people over 50-years-old the Mount Sinai doctor is less convinced.
Overall, Liu said the COVID-19 vaccines are very safe and encouraged those who are not yet vaccinated to receive their first shot.
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