Pfizer CEO says a fourth booster shot 'is necessary'

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: The Hill

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on Sunday that a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be necessary to continue to help keep hospitalizations manageable and sicknesses more mild.

"Right now, the way that we have seen, it is necessary, a fourth booster right now. The protection that you are getting from the third, it is good enough, actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths," Bourla said while appearing on CBS's "Face the Nation."

"It's not that good against infections, but doesn't last very long. But we are just submitting those data to the FDA and then we will see what the experts also will say outside Pfizer," he added.

In August, the Food and Drug Administration fully approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for people at least 16-years-old or older. A third dose of Pfizer's vaccine has been granted emergency use authorization.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/pfizer-ceo-says-a-fourth-booster-shot-is-necessary/ar-AAV0vIL

[Walleye]

1. I was fortunate to get my fourth one last month six months after my third one

[SheltieLover]

2. I wonder how effective vax is against BA.2?

[ificandream]

3. I would think this will be an ongoing thing like flu shots.

[SomewhereInTheMiddle]

30. The difference ...

The difference between the flu shots and the Covid vaccine and boosters, at least for my family, has been that the Covid shots often come with a 24-48hr period of illness strong enough to require bedrest. If this becomes a quarterly event that is a week or more of sick days I am not sure I Can afford. Given that the alternative is worse I probably will continue to get them as recommended, but it is a problem.

[Rocknation]

4. I'll concur with his diagnosis when the CDC and FDA do

I mean, I'd hate to think that the CEO of Pfizer might have ulterior motive$


Rocknation

[True Dough]

5. That seems

perfectly reasonable to me.

[NH Ethylene]

34. I agree. And I will also keep my eye overseas,

To see if all the countries are on board, or if there are contradictory studies. The news that the CDC withheld some pertinent info from us has not encouraged my trust.

[Rocknation]

40. Was this witholding recent

or during the reign of Dr. Trump?


Rocknation

[NH Ethylene]

42. This was recent, and revealed a couple of weeks ago.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/20/health/covid-cdc-data.html

And if you can't get into the NYT:

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20220222/report-cdc-not-publishing-large-amounts-of-covid-19-data

[Raven123]

6. "It's not that good.., but doesn't last very long " makes no sense

[chowder66]

7. My guess is that he meant to say 'It's not that good against infections....

because it (the vaccine) doesn't last very long'.

[Raven123]

13. Sounds like the therapeutics may turn out to be a better strategy long term

[LisaL]

19. I think he is saying first booster is good against deaths and hospitalizations, but not that good

against infections (with the new variants). However, first booster doesn't last very long against death and hospitalizations. Thus second booster is needed.

[chowder66]

24. Yes. The booster. I agree.

[Deminpenn]

20. The antibodies decline after a few months, but that's the way our

immune system works for all infections as I understand it. From what I read, it's hard to test for how long memory B and T cells last and relatively few labs are able to do it. That's the kind of long lasting immunity that matters.

All the emphasis on tracking antibodies is because it's easier to do and most labs can do that.

[cinematicdiversions]

39. Ah my wedding vows.... nt

[mahannah]

8. Profits.

[JohnSJ]

10. If you think they are doing this only because of profits, not because it is necessary, then when the

opportunity comes to get it, you have a choice.

We are very fortunate here in the U.S. that these vaccines are readily available. The rest of the world isn't as lucky, though the administration is working hard to move the vaccines out globally

[mahannah]

21. Agree.

[JohnSJ]

22. Thanks. It is just that I think there are a lot of complexities involved

[Ace Rothstein]

9. Hopefully someone develops a more effective vaccine in the near future.

[JohnSJ]

12. It is effective, but it isn't as persistent as we hoped for. I think some of the problem is the

variants that show up, and suspect this will end up like a yearly shot, like the influenza vaccine

[Ford_Prefect]

11. Research released in the last month indicated there was a sharp drop in immunity after 4 months.

So is Pfizer suggesting that quarterly shots to keep immunity up to standard will be the future, or at least during the next 2-3 years?

[Locrian]

14. are fouths being offered to anyone or just compromised? - n/t

[LisaL]

17. Right now just immuno compromised.

NT

[txwhitedove]

15. I signed up with CVS so, like with that booster, they'll call me when it's available.

[cstanleytech]

16. Sounds like further research is needed to find a longer lasting vaccine.

[LisaL]

18. If such a thing is possible, it's not going to happen quickly.

NT

[LittleGirl]

23. The mRNA vaccine is not as effective

After 90 days. That’s why it wasn’t widely available for protections in a wide scale before Covid-19. That is what someone that works in Pharma told me.

[LisaL]

25. If that were true,

there would have been more effective vaccines compared to Moderna or Pfizer. And there are not.

[NH Ethylene]

35. The J & J is not an mRNA vaccine and has not been shown as more long lasting

At least as far as I know.

[niyad]

32. Exactly what does this person working in pharma do? After all, even the cleaning

crews at the facilities work in pharma.

[AZLD4Candidate]

26. Does this apply to just Pfizer, or is Moderna also on this list of losing effectiveness and needing

another booster?

[littlemissmartypants]

27. Good question. I'm wondering the same thing. How can we find out? ❤

[SoCalDavidS]

28. LOL!!

People won't even get the 1st Booster shot, and 20-30% of Americans won't even get the 1st & 2nd regular shots.

I'm guessing that if they do declare a 2nd booster is necessary, that it will get around 25% willing to have it.

[hamsterjill]

33. Absolutely agree.

People are not going to continue to line up for booosters indefinitely.

I am vaxxed and boosted but I’m thinking I’m pretty much done unless something changes drastically. I’m a horrific needle phobe and it’s a major undertaking for me to get an injection. There’s been no interest, it seems, in developing other types of vaccines (like nasal).


I am not trying to influence anyone but I’m sure I’m not the only one who is feeling this way.

[NH Ethylene]

36. That's my feeling right now as well.

I'll be following the evidence, but I am inclined to sit the next one out.

[hamsterjill]

41. Prudent, I think.

I have marveled at the eagerness with which some on DU have been wanting a booster often. I believe in science and am certainly not an antivaxxer; however, at some point one has to begin to wonder how much is being put into our bodies.

It’s typically explained that like the flu, it will be a yearly shot, but the fact is that less than half of Americans get a flu shot. So, I’ll be watching and make the decision that I deem will be best for me. As should everyone. But there will be a limit for me and it won’t go on indefinitely.

[beaglelover]

43. Me too. We really do not know the long term effects of these MRNA vaccines.

I've had both shots and the booster and unless a new variant comes along with a huge increase in likelihood of death if you get infected, I'm not sure I want to put anymore experimental vaccines in my body.

[greenjar_01]

38. I'm vaxxed and boosted, had COVID subsequent to booster and would be very skeptical

of getting yet another booster.

People can pretend that "vaccinated" always meant "less severe illness," but for those of us in real world, it always meant "prevents infection." Now the booster needs boosted every couple of months to prevent severe illness? Fuck's sake. What's it made of, water?

[Jetheels]

29. First of all, shouldn't Pfizer ceo put out a comprehensible statement that doesn't contradict

itself? Second, here’s a nyt article that says we’re good for a long time. I was able to read it and I don’t have a subscription.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/21/health/covid-vaccine-antibodies-t-cells.html

[niyad]

31. It is a fourth dose, a second booster. Not a fourth booster. sheeeesh, one would

think that the ceo of pharmaceutical company could speak properly.

[greenjar_01]

37. Oh for fucks sake

[Totally Tunsie]

44. I was turned away today from receiving my fourth Moderna.

I arrived at CVS for my fourth Moderna shot - second booster - as I seemed to meet the criteria. It has been 7 months since my last shot, and I'm age eligible according to all reports. When I registered, I answered all their questions and was greeted with "Success! You're eligible for your Moderna booster." But when I got to CVS, I was turned away because I'm not immuno-compromised. It was one of the registration questions, and I answered honestly that I was not and the registration went through without problem. OK - I'll wait, but there was a peace of mind in the thought of further protection.

By the way, no-one in CVS - not shoppers or staff - were masked, other than myself.