Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to seek emergency authorization for a second booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine for those 65 and older, three sources close to the situation told the Washington Post.
The Post reported that an FDA submission could come as early as Tuesday. Sources close to the situation told The Post that the submission is expected to include real-life data from Israel — one of the only countries that has authorized a second booster shot.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday that a second coronavirus booster shot is “necessary” because the protection against COVID-19 from the third shot “doesn’t last very long,” Insider previously reported.
“It is necessary, a fourth booster right now,” Bourla said. “The protection that you are getting from the third, it is good enough, actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths.”
He continued: “It’s not that good against infections, but doesn’t last very long. But we are just submitting those data to the FDA and then we will see what the experts also will say outside Pfizer.
The FDA approval could come fairly quickly, depending on how straightforward Pfizer’s data is, the Post reported.
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