BUFFALO (WBEN) - Pfizer met with top U.S. health officials Monday to discuss the request for federal authorization of a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine - the company asserting that booster shots will be needed within 12 months.
Dr. Anthony Fauci didn't rule out the possibility but said it was too soon for the government to recommend another shot, agreeing with the FDA and CDC's statement that boosters are not necessary at this time.
Dr. Tom Russo is the Chief of Infectious Disease at the Jacobs School of Medicine, and he noted that the current data does not immediately show a need for a booster.
"There's two reasons why we might need a booster dose: if our immunity from the initial vaccination wanes over time, such is the case with the Tetanus vaccine where we need a booster every 10 years, or if a variant evolved that eludes vaccine-induced immunity," said Russo. "At this time, neither of those scenarios have come to fruition."
Fauci noted that it's possible in the coming months "as data evolves" that the government may urge a booster based on such factors as age and underlying medical conditions. "Certainly it is entirely conceivable, maybe likely at some time, we will need a boost,'' Fauci said.
Russo pointed to a specific demographic as perhaps most needing a potential third dose the soonest.
"We are developing an increasing body of data that some immunocompromised individuals do not optimally respond to the two-shot Pfizer or Moderna vaccine," said Russo. "I suspect this is the first group of individuals that actually may need a booster - it does represent a very small fraction of the population - but that is the one area that we're actively looking at..."
He also added that the current consensus is that we'll get at least a year out of the vaccination, if not more, based on the data that's available today.
