WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. infectious diseases expert says “it is entirely conceivable, maybe likely” that Americans will need a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, as drugmaker Pfizer suggested this past week. Pfizer says early data from a company trial suggests people's antibody levels jump after they get a third dose.
Pfizer says it plans to meet with top U.S. health officials Monday to discuss the drugmaker’s request for federal authorization of a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine.
Still, Dr. Anthony Fauci says it's too soon for the government to recommend another shot.
Fauci says in a series of Sunday news show interviews that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration did the right thing by pushing back against Pfizer's assertion of a third shot within 12 months.
He says “as data evolves” the government may urge a booster based on such factors as age and underlying conditions, but science has yet to fully bear that out.
