Pfizer CEO: Omicron Variant Could Mean Fourth Vaccine Dose Needed Sooner Than Expected
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla previously said a fourth dose could be needed one year after the third shot.
By Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder
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Dec. 9, 2021, at 11:09 a.m.
A fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose may be needed sooner than expected in order to address the omicron variant, according to the chief executive of Pfizer.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla previously
said a fourth dose could be needed one year after the third shot. He
told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Wednesday that “we may need it faster
When we see real-world data will determine if the omicron is well covered by the third dose and for how long,” he said, adding that he believes
a third dose “will give very good protection.”
Bourla’s comments come after Pfizer reported
that three doses of its coronavirus vaccine may offer significant protection against the omicron variant, while just two doses of the vaccine see a large drop in antibody levels against the strain.
A Pfizer booster shot increases virus-fighting antibodies 25-fold in blood samples tested in a lab, according to preliminary data.