JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Experts said COVID-19 booster shots for fully vaccinated Americans are unnecessary at this time, but they’re not ruling them out for the future.
Talk of the booster shot started as Phizer CEO Albert Bourla said people will likely need a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine within 12 months of being vaccinated.
Many perceive this as a booster shot means the current vaccines are ineffective.
This claim is FALSE.
SOURCES
- Dr. Anthony Faucci
- UF Health
- The CDC
- The FDA
Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNBC Tuesday, data has proven the vaccine is highly effective.
“99.5% of people who die of COVID are unvaccinated,” Fauci said. “Only 0.5% of people who die are vaccinated.”
Fauci said a booster shot would have nothing to do with the effectiveness of the current vaccine, but its durability over time.
“We do that with vaccines all the time,” Fauci said. “Masles, mumps, rubella, etc. you get a vaccine, you get a second shot and then a few years later you get a third shot.”
The CDC and FDA made a joint statement saying Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster at this time, but they are prepared for booster doses if and when the science demonstrates they are needed.
For these reasons, we are going to verify that a booster shot means current vaccines are not fully effective as false.
Chad Nielsen, director of infection prevention at UF Health, said the vaccine is effective against current COVID-19 variants, but that could change if the virus evolves. He compares this to the flu.
“We have a new flu vaccine every year because every year the flu changes its genome just a little bit to evade vaccines and that’s just natural for viruses,” Neilsen said. “They change overtime.”
That’s why Neilsen said it’s important to be vaccinated, to prevent the virus from spreading and evolving.