Infectious Disease
According to Pfizer, the third vaccine dose increases protection, also against the Delta variant
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Pfizer released data on Wednesday showing that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine provides additional protection over the currently recommended two doses, including against the Delta variant.
The non-peer-reviewed data was included in a quarterly results report.
A third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine offers additional protection beyond the currently recommended two doses, including against the Delta variant, according to Pfizer. Source: Adobe Stock.
Also on Wednesday, researchers reported a “gradual decline” in vaccine effectiveness, from more than 96% in the first 2 months to below 84% after 6 months, according to a preprint study funded by Pfizer and BioNTech, which is also incomparable -checked.
The usefulness of COVID-19 vaccine boosters has been discussed. After Pfizer and BioNTech announced positive initial results earlier this month showing a booster dose and saying they would soon apply for emergency approval, CDC and FDA officials released a joint statement saying, that a refresher program for COVID-19 vaccines is neither possible nor necessary and that fully vaccinated people are protected from serious illnesses caused by all SARS-CoV-2 viruses, including its variants.
“We continue to check all new data since [they become] available and will keep the public informed, “said the CDC and FDA in that statement. “We are prepared for booster doses when science shows they are needed.”
According to the data in the Pfizer earnings report, neutralization titers against the Delta variant in people aged 18 to 55 who received a third dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine after 6 months were more than five times higher than after the second dose. In addition, in older adults 65 to 85 years of age, titers against Delta were more than 11 times higher after a third dose than after a second dose.
Data from the report also showed that titers against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 were five to eight times and against the beta variant 15 to 21 times higher.
The new study, published on the medRxiv preprint server, reported 6-month results from an ongoing study with more than 46,000 participants aged 12 and over who received either two doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine or a placebo.
According to the results, the effectiveness of the vaccine peaked at 96.2% between 7 days and 2 months after the second dose, then decreased to 90.1% between 2 and 4 months and to 83.7% between 4 and 6 months .
“Ongoing follow-up investigations are needed to understand the persistence of vaccine effects over time, the need for a booster dose, and when to take such a dose,” the researchers wrote.
References:
Pfizer. Conference call on the results for the second quarter of 2021. July 28, 2021. https://s21.q4cdn.com/317678438/files/doc_financials/2021/q2/Q2-2021-Earnings-Charts-FINAL.pdf. Accessed July 28, 2021.
Thomas SJ et al. medRxiv. 2021; doi: 10.1101 / 2021.07.28.21261159.
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