On Tuesday, Pfizer/BioNTech asked United States regulators to approve the fourth dose of their Coronavirus vaccine for seniors aged sixty-five and older. They said that statistics from Israel suggest that older adults would benefit from the additional dose. At present, the United States urges two primary doses followed some months after by a booster shot for everybody aged twelve and older.
Pfizer and BioNTech asked US regulators to allow the 4th Coronavirus vaccine dose for seniors. They argued that recent statistics from Israel suggest older would benefit. The current request to the Food and Drug Administration to add an additional shot for people older than 65. pic.twitter.com/5hi7unQTH8
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The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration may authorize the request. However, health officials say the vaccinations continue to offer strong effectiveness against the deadly virus, especially the highly infectious Omicron variant. With Coronavirus cases finally tumbling after the intense variant surge.
On the other hand, public health experts discuss the next steps that may require if a new variant crops up. The United States’ booster campaign was based on evidence that the effectiveness of the vaccine doses, specifically against milder COVID-19 infections, was declining around six months after the last shot. Requests for a 3rd dose were raised once it became clear the vaccines were not as effective against the Omicron variant as they were against previous mutants of the virus.
What is the Ultimate Goal of Vaccination?
According to several scientists, the ultimate goal of COVID vaccination is to prevent severe sickness, not mild infections, and preliminary statistics show the doses still are doing a healthy job at that. For example, during the Omicron upsurge, the effectiveness of vaccines against hospitalizations was ninety-one percent in individuals who received their booster shot two months earlier and seventy-eight by the 4th month after that booster shot.
Source: Web
Pfizer based its recent request on statistics from Israel, which previously offered a second booster dose to individuals aged sixty and older and health care workers. Pfizer also refers to a current study of healthcare workers that followed a rise in Coronavirus-fighting antibodies after receiving another booster dose.
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