The effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccine is deteriorating with time, according to US regulators, who have authorised booster shots for all Americans starting on September 20th, eight months after they have been fully inoculated.
The development comes as scientists and health professionals dispute whether a third injection of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines would be helpful in combating the Delta strain of Covid-19, which is on the rise.
“The available data make very clear that protection against (coronavirus) infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination, the nation’s top health officials, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky and US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, said in a statement.
“In association with the dominance of the Delta variant we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease,” they added.
The officials warned that while the vaccines remain “remarkably effective” in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death from the effects of Covid, protection could diminish in the months ahead without boosted immunization.
“We conclude that a booster shot will be needed to maximize vaccine-induced protection and prolong its durability,” the officials said.
The boosters would be available beginning the week of September 20, with individuals eligible for a shot starting eight months after receiving a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
The officials said they also anticipate booster shots will be needed beginning later in the year for people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which rolled out in March.
Over 620,000 people have died in America from coronavirus, with case numbers increasing sharply in recent months due to the spread of the Delta variant.
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Home >News >World >US OKs Covid booster shot to counter declining vaccine efficacy. Read here
US OKs Covid booster shot to counter declining vaccine efficacy. Read here
A health care worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. (AP)
A health care worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. (AP)
2 min read . Updated: 18 Aug 2021, 09:14 PM IST
Agencies
The move comes as scientists and health experts grapple with how to beat back the surging Delta variant of Covid-19, and follows an extensive debate over whether a third injection of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines would be appropriate
Coronavirus vaccination efficacy is decreasing over time, the US authorities warned today as they authorised booster jabs for all Americans from 20 September starting eight months after a person has been fully vaccinated.
The development comes as scientists and health experts grapple with how to beat back the surging Delta variant of Covid-19, and follows an extensive debate over whether a third injection of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines would be appropriate.
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“The available data make very clear that protection against (coronavirus) infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination, the nation’s top health officials, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky and US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, said in a statement.
“In association with the dominance of the Delta variant we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease,” they added.
The officials warned that while the vaccines remain “remarkably effective” in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death from the effects of Covid, protection could diminish in the months ahead without boosted immunization.
“We conclude that a booster shot will be needed to maximize vaccine-induced protection and prolong its durability,” the officials said.
The boosters would be available beginning the week of September 20, with individuals eligible for a shot starting eight months after receiving a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
The officials said they also anticipate booster shots will be needed beginning later in the year for people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which rolled out in March.
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Over 620,000 people have died in America from coronavirus, with case numbers increasing sharply in recent months due to the spread of the Delta variant.
Last week, the US authorized an extra dose of the Covid-19 vaccine for people with weakened immune systems.
Wednesday’s announcement highlights the concern over rapidly rising cases in several US states, as the country’s mass vaccination program hit resistance in politically conservative regions in the South and Midwest.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said, as per the current data, that coronavirus booster shots are not needed.
WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, asked about the need for boosters to increase protection against the disease, told a Geneva news conference: “We believe clearly that the data today does not indicate that boosters are needed.”
Further research was needed, Swaminathan said.
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