Posted August 19, 2021
It appears that those who have received their COVID-19 vaccines are likely going to need additional shots. Vaccine maker Moderna has released a statement that those individuals who have received the two-dose shot of the COVID-19 vaccine will likely need a third dose before winter.
While this leaves many skeptical of the protection they currently have, the company has begun work on a single-dose booster shot that would provide annual protection from COVID-19 as well as the flu and RSV.
“We believe that increased force of infection resulting from Delta, non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) fatigue, and seasonal effects (moving indoors) will lead to an increase of breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals,” the company said in a presentation.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has also commented on the need for boosters, specifically for those who are immunocompromised who may not produce enough antibodies to fight off the virus.
“It is extremely important for us to move to get those individuals their boosters and we are now working on that, and will make that be implemented as quickly as possible, because for us and for the individuals involved it is a very high priority,” Fauci said.
Now, Moderna is in early-stage testing which has shown its booster candidate was effective against COVID variants, including Delta.
This comes as a welcomed surprise as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that the unvaccinated are eight times more likely to get infected by the Delta variant and 25 times more likely to die from it.
However, some scientists don’t agree.
According to an article by Nature.com, some scientists say that the case for COVID-19 vaccine boosters at this point is weak as it could divert much-needed doses away from others.
The World Health Organization called for a moratorium on boosters until at least the end of September.
“Wasting resources on boosters for those who are already protected against severe disease does not really make too much sense,” says Laith Jamal Abu-Raddad, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at Weill Cornell Medicine—Qatar in Doha. “Down the line, probably, we would need to think of it. But really, we don’t have strong arguments for it right now.”
Now, it is up to the individual to decide to vaccinate, and then, to receive booster shots.
Keep up to date with COVID-19 news here.
Posted in COVID-19.