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Pfizer CEO Says Fourth COVID Booster Shot ‘Is Necessary’

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla is saying that a fourth COVID booster shot “is necessary” for Americans to get. Bourla was on TV on Sunday. He was talking about this matter. He said that this booster will be necessary to keep hospitalizations on a manageable scale. Bourla hopes the fourth COVID booster shot also will keep sicknesses on a milder level. He appeared on the CBS morning show Face the Nation on CBS with host Margaret Brennan.

At A Glance

  • Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on Sunday that getting a fourth COVID booster shot “is necessary.”
  • In August, FDA approved Pfizer shot for people at least 16 years old.
  • CEO said protection you get from third shot “is good enough.”
  • But Bourla warns that it’s not good against infections.

Pfizer CEO Said Company Submits Data About Infections To FDA

“Right now, the way that we have seen, it is necessary, a fourth booster right now,” Bourla said on Sunday. “The protection that you are getting from the third, it is good enough, actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths.

“It’s not that good against infections but doesn’t last very long,” he said. “But we are just submitting those data to the FDA [Food and Drug Administration], and then we will see what the experts also will say outside Pfizer.” We get more information from The Hill.

Back in August 2021, the FDA fully approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for people at least 16 years old or older. A third dose of Pfizer’s vaccine has been granted emergency use authorization. Bourla also spoke to CNBC on Saturday about Pfizer’s plan for a fourth COVID booster shot.

Bourla Said Environment To Help Against Omicron Is Still Needed

“It’s clear that there is a need in an environment of omicron to boost the immune response,” he said on CNBC’s Squawk Box. Countries like Israel, Chile, and Germany have already begun recommending fourth COVID booster shots for high-risk groups.

Brennan did ask Bourla if he expects to be able to avoid the same confusion over booster shots that came about when the third vaccine dose was being deployed. “I think so,” he said. “And I think right now we need to be very well coordinated, CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], FDA and the industry so that we are all providing to the American people and to the world a cohesive picture rather than confusion.”

Now, Bourla also said that his company’s goal is around creating a vaccine effective against all variants of COVID for longer periods of time. “We are working very diligently right now … to make not only a vaccine that will protect against all variants, including omicron, but also something that can protect for at least a year,” he said.