According to a study published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is “slightly effective,” but it is still “immunogenic” and “safe.”
Researchers found that there was no statistically significant difference in immune response or “in levels of omicron-specific neutralizing antibodies” between the third and fourth doses of a flu vaccination, according to the study’s authors.
‘Our findings show that the maximum immunogenicity of mRNA vaccines is obtained after three doses, and that antibody levels can be recovered by a fourth treatment,’ the authors wrote in their paper. It is possible that a fourth vaccination of healthy young health-care professionals will only provide minimal advantages.
The authors stated that they did not analyze those who were older or who were more immunocompromised.
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In a statement earlier this week, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla stated that protection following a third dose “doesn’t last very long” and that a fourth shot “is required.” As reported by WebMD, Bourla asserts that the company has submitted data to the Food and Drug Administration that will demonstrate the need for a fourth dose of the medication.
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According to the Wall Street Journal, the Food and Drug Administration may provide approval for a second booster shot in the near future.
In the words of Dr. Matthew Harris of Northwell Health, “a more plausible scenario is that the COVID-19 vaccinations will become part of a yearly immunization program, similar to the influenza vaccination program.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone above the age of 12 have a third dosage of the vaccination, and that children between the ages of 5 and 11 receive the normal two-dose immunization.