Dolsten explained the planned move in studies from Israel, which showed a decrease in the effectiveness of the vaccine in people who had already been vaccinated in January and February.
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“The Pfizer vaccine is highly effective against the delta variant,” said Dolsten. However, he admitted that there was a risk of re-infection after six months because the antibodies were disappearing. Pfizer has not yet released full data from Israel, but has promised to do so soon.
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However, data from Britain show that although protection against the disease is declining, the vaccine is still 95 percent effective in protecting against the onset of a serious course of the disease. However, according to The Guardian, data from Israel suggest that only two percent of the two vaccines are effective.
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The first data on the third dose from the Pfizer studies, according to Dolsten, show that the booster injection generates so many antibodies that their levels are five to ten times higher than after the second dose. The third dose should thus provide promising protection.
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Many countries in Europe and America have therefore turned to Pfizer for possible third doses. Some states could start administering them before they are approved in the United States.
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Authorities are hesitant
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a joint statement Thursday after Dolsten’s speech that they do not expect a third dose yet.
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“We are ready to give a booster dose if science and verification processes show that it is needed. We use data from pharmaceutical companies, but the assessment does not depend only on them, “the statement said.
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William Schaffner, a vaccine expert at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, said the authorities would decide on a booster dose when it was really needed. Millions of people still have no protection, with only 48 percent of the US population still fully vaccinated.
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“The vaccines were designed so we wouldn’t get to the hospital. It does this even when the protection against the infection decreases, “said Schaffner.
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Anthony Fauci, America’s chief government vaccine expert, also said: “I would like to emphasize that when you have been vaccinated, you have a high level of protection.”
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The Indian delta mutation is spreading in the USA
According to Rochelle Walensky, CDC director Rochelle Walensky, the main problem is that the disease is spreading among the unvaccinated.
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The predominant infection is the Indian delta mutation. While it accounted for a quarter of new cases last week, now it is on average half and in the Midwest even 80 percent.
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According to Dolsten, the third dose is especially important in elderly patients. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has previously said that vaccination will have to be repeated every twelve months, but some scientists question it.
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Pfizer, along with the German company BioNTech, has also begun to develop a modified vaccine to combat mutations, including the Indian variant of delta. However, even the current vaccine against it provides very good protection against it and will therefore be further produced.
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