Health bodies have said there is no evidence on the need for COVID-19 vaccine boosters, but plans for booster shots have be
However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said that no additional doses are needed at this time.
According to Business Insider, some leading vaccine developers, including Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax, are already testing COVID-19 boosters, an additional shot to increase protection for those already vaccinated against the infection.
A previous fact check by Logically found that Pfizer had openly discussed the possibility of booster shots in March 2021.
However, scientists expressed concern that pharmaceutical executives rather than health specialists have set public expectations around COVID-19 boosters.
In a call with Bloomberg, the World Health Organisation's (WHO) chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said, "we do not have the information that's necessary to make the recommendation on whether or not a booster will be needed," CNBC reported.
Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said it's completely inappropriate to say whether people are likely to need a vaccine booster shot. The director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines, and Biologicals at WHO, Katherine O'Brien, said, "we don't see the data yet that would inform a decision about whether or not booster doses are needed." WHO is forming a panel of experts to assess all variant and vaccine efficacy data .and may recommend changes to vaccination programs as needed, Reuters reported.
Pfizer's Chief Executive, Albert Bourla responded to the criticism, adding that boosters should be expected while the virus circulates. That could change once the pandemic is more firmly under control.
Hence, no additional doses of the COVID-19 are recommended at the current time. More research is needed to conclude the necessity of vaccine boosters.
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