Pfizer discusses the possibility of an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose

March 18, 2022 /

Pfizer is currently working on getting a fourth dose approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); additionally, the company is working on a vaccine that protects against all coronavirus variants.

“We are making a vaccine that covers Omicron and all the other variants. There are so many trials that are going right now, and a lot of them we’ll start reading by the end of the month,” said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla

Bourla said a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be necessary to lower and manage the spread of the virus to a more mild state.

“The way that we have seen it, a fourth booster is necessary right now. We are just submitting that data to the FDA, and then we’ll see what the experts also would say outside Pfizer,” said Bourla.

Pfizer has based their request to add a fourth dose on data from Israel, Chile, and Sweden where they are already offering a fourth dose to certain people.

“We are working very diligently right now to make not only a vaccine that will protect against all variants, including Omicron, but also something that can protect for at least a year,” said Bourla. “And if we are able to achieve that, then I think it is very easy to follow and remember so that we can go back to the way used to live.”

Bourla said Pfizer’s priority is to work on making a long-lasting vaccine and developing a vaccine that prevents infection.

“We can’t have vaccines every five, six months,” Bourla said. “We need to be able to move as soon as possible.”

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anyone ages 18 and up who got the two-dose Moderna vaccine should get a booster shot six months after the second dose. Anyone who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should get a booster shot after two months. Also anyone ages 12 and up who got a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least five months ago can get a third dose.The CDC also said some people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised and have had three doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna Covid-19 vaccines can get a fourth dose. It is still unclear whether or not the FDA will authorize a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine for healthy teens and adults.