Pfizer Vaccine Shot Likely Needed 12 Months After Inoculation - CEO

By Staff, Agencies

Those who got inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer could need another booster shot in a year after their vaccination, the company's CEO Albert Bourla said on Thursday.

In his comments for CNBC, recorded on April 1, he also said there was a possibility that people would have to be vaccinated against the disease every year.

“It is extremely important to suppress the pool of people that can be susceptible to the virus,” the outlet cites Bourla as saying.

The executive added that the vaccines can be expected to work as a major tool in the fight against new virus variants with a higher capacity to infect people.

Pfizer previously said that its vaccine maintained effectiveness of over 90 percent both against infections and severe symptoms six months after inoculation in a review involving 12,000 participants.

However, the company added more data will be needed to examine the vaccine's effectiveness further down the road.

On Thursday, David Kessle, chief science officer with US President Joe Biden's coronavirus response team, told lawmakers that more booster shots may be needed in the future.

He added that while the protection given by the vaccines overall seemed durable, there were hints at some "waning" -- and the new variants could pose an extra threat.