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Third dose of COVID-19 vaccine likely needed after 12 months, says Pfizer CEO

A third dose of COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer would be needed after 12 months, the pharmaceutical company’s CEO revealed on Wednesday.

In an interview with CNBC, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people may be required to have annual vaccination against coronavirus.

“A likely scenario is that there will be likely a need for a third dose, somewhere between six and 12 months and then from there, there will be an annual revaccination, but all of that needs to be confirmed,” he said.

Bourla noted that mutations and new variants of COVID-19 will also play a key role.

“We need to see what would be the sequence, and for how often we need to do that, that remains to be seen,” Bourla said.

He also stressed the need to suppress the pool of people that can be susceptible to the virus.

Meanwhile, CEO of Johnson & Johnson Alex Gorsky also told CNBC that annual inoculation of COVID-19 vaccines may be needed like seasonal flu shots.

Researchers cannot guarantee how long the COVID-19 vaccines can offer protection against the virus.

Pfizer earlier said its vaccine is 91 percent effective against COVID-19 and 95 percent effective against severe COVID-19 cases up to six months after the second shot.

However, researchers said further study is needed to know if the Pfizer jabs can offer protection more than six months.(RA0

Staff Report

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