No Third Vaccination Shot Needed at the Moment, FDA and CDC Say

Both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that a third vaccination shot is unnecessary after Pfizer announced on Thursday that it was seeking emergency use approval for emergency use of a third shot for extra protection against the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19.
“Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time,” the CDC and FDA said in a statement. “The United States is fortunate to have highly effective vaccines that are widely available for those aged 12 and up.
“People who are fully vaccinated are protected from severe disease and death, including from the variants currently circulating in the country such as Delta.”
While health authorities currently recommend that people receive two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for protection against COVID, Pfizer said last week that its studies showed that the body produced five to 10 times more protective antibodies after a third shot.
In response to the statement of the CDC and the FDA naysaying the necessity of a third vaccination shot at the moment, Pfizer said that it plans to publish and submit its research on the third booster shot and how it provides extra immunity against the Delta variant to the FDA, European Medicines Agency and other regulators by August, CNN reported.
“While protection against severe disease remained high across the full six months, a decline in efficacy against symptomatic disease over time and the continued emergence of variants are expected,” Pfizer said. “Based on the totality of the data they have to date, Pfizer and BioNTech believe that a third dose may be beneficial within six to 12 months following the second dose to maintain highest levels of protection.”
(Photo by: Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)