Anthony Fauci, the White House chief medical adviser, said it is inevitable that everyone will need a COVID-19 booster shot at some point because, as he told NBC's "TODAY Show," ''like any vaccine, its protection won’t be indefinite.''
Fauci appeared on multiple morning shows Thursday to discuss vaccine booster shots. On CBS' "This Morning," when asked directly if everyone will need a booster shot at some point, he said yes. ''It’s likely that will happen at some time in the future. We’re already starting to see indications in some sectors about a diminution (decrease) over time."
But the need isn't immediate, he continued. "We don’t feel at this particular point, that apart from the immune compromised, we don’t feel we need to give boosters right now.''
However, Fauci said that could change as the information is being gathered in real time, ''literally on a weekly and monthly basis'' from all different populations to determine if the level of protection is starting to decrease.
''When it does get to a certain level, we will be prepared to give boosters to those people," Fauci continued. ''It is imminent that we will be giving it to immune compromised,'' he said.
NPR reports that approximately 3% of Americans would fall into the ''immune compromised'' category. These are people who have been weakened by disease, certain medical treatments or organ transplants. For most people, a booster means a third dose of the vaccine.
The FDA has been evaluating studies showing that people with a compromised immune system can have a weak response to the standard vaccine regimen. Research indicates that a third dose may boost immunity to the coronavirus in these people and protect them from serious COVID-19 complications.
The FDA is expected to authorize a COVID-19 booster shot for immunocompromised people shortly, according to CNN. It was also reported that the FDA plans to amend emergency use authorizations for Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to authorize a third shot.
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