Pfizer: Immunity Can Drop To 83% Within 4 Mos. For Those Who Got Shot, Bolstering Case For Booster

MSN/Business Insider, Aug. 5, 2021. - Ed.

The effectiveness of Pfizer’s COVID-19 shot can drop to 83.7% within 4-6 months after getting the 2nd dose of its vaccine. This is the latest indication that vaccine-induced immunity to the virus can wane and some kind of boost may be necessary in the future.

New research published Wednesday as a preprint indicates that the Pfizer Inc. shot provides 96.2% protection for the first two months, 90.1% effectiveness between the second and fourth months, and 83.7% of protection for the fourth, fifth, and six months.

“We will need a booster 8-12 months from the second dose,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Wednesday, according to a FactSet transcript of the company’s 2nd-quarter earnings call. The drug maker has been making the case for booster shots, citing limited data from its own clinical research and real-world data out of Israel, where Pfizer’s vaccine is the predominant shot in circulation.

“We do see—after 6-8 months—more rapid waning concerning infections and mild to moderate symptoms,” Dr. Mikhail Dolsten, Pfizer’s chief scientific officer, said. “Those are likely entirely, or to a large degree, dependent on antibodies and the drop in titer that we alluded to. If you raise it, you may have a good probability to reverse that waning.” Still, there’s no simple black-and-white answer to whether booster shots are needed at this time. One, there is no definitive data...

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