Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, PhD, said April 15 that people will likely need a third COVID-19 shot six to 12 months after they're fully vaccinated, The Hill reported.
"A likely scenario is there will be likely a need for a third dose somewhere between six and 12 months, and then from there there would be an annual revaccination," Dr. Bourla said.
He said variants will play a key role in determining whether annual shots will be needed.
"It is extremely important to suppress the pool of people that can be susceptible to the virus because they are vaccinated with high-efficacy vaccines," he said, according to The Hill.
Pfizer and its partner BioNTech have reported that their vaccine remained 91 percent effective six months after the second dose in a study.
David Kessler, MD, the White House's chief science officer, told lawmakers April 15 that people "should expect" booster shots, but that officials "don't know everything at this moment."
Peter Marks, MD, PhD, the FDA's director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said officials believe protection from the vaccines will last at least nine months, The Hill reported.
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