PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Pfizer is seeking U.S. approval for a third vaccine dose against COVID-19.
The company says this booster shot would help fight variants of COVID-19, but there may be push back on whether a third dose is needed. U.S. health officials say Americans may not need the booster shot.
Pfizer is now saying their data shows a third booster shot would boost immunity against new variants of COVID-19, and would need to be taken six months to a year after the second dose. There is concern for those who have not gotten vaccinated or have only gotten the first shot, which does not protect well against it.
“The competition for beds is higher now than it was during the peak last year,” said Erik Frederick with Mercy Hospital in Springfield, MO.
“We’re seeing some younger population become very ill, compared to what we did in the fall. And the beginning of this year, we see patients becoming more ill quicker than we did before,” said Dr. William Sistrunk, an infectious disease physician from Mercy Hospital in Springfield.
The FDA and the CDC came out jointly saying Americans may not need the booster shot, but instead want to see more science and data from more independent sources. U.S. government officials maintain that people vaccinated against COVID have a low rate of infection, even against the delta variant.
