BioNTech's CEO says the company's covid vaccine should be considered a three-dose series:
Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine should be considered a three-dose vaccine series instead of a two-dose one when it comes to the omicron variant, BioNTech CEO Uğur Şahin said Wednesday in light of
showing the company’s booster shot is necessary to gain a high degree of protection against the strain—a designation that could change the definition of what it means to be “fully vaccinated” against Covid-19.... [+]a booster shot of the companies’ vaccine increases protection against the omicron variant by 25-fold as compared with two shots of the vaccine, though the original two-dose series is believed to still provide protection against severe disease.
Asked at a press conference Wednesday whether that means the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine should be considered a three-dose vaccine regimen, rather than two shots plus a booster, Şahin said it is “very clear” that’s the case when it comes to the omicron variant. While Covid-19 booster shots are currently authorized in the U.S. to be administered at least six months after a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, Şahin pointed to other countries like the United Kingdom that are shortening the duration before the booster shot to as little as three months, saying “we believe this is the right way to go” given the booster shot’s importance against omicron.
The data released Wednesday is still preliminary and Pfizer and BioNTech said they will continue to study the vaccine’s effectiveness in light of omicron.Moderna has not yet responded to a request for comment regarding whether it still views the company’s Covid-19 vaccine as a two-dose or three-dose vaccine series, and the company has not yet released data on its vaccine’s effectiveness against omicron.
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