Moderna's CEO Says We Might Need A 4th COVID Vaccine Dose & Could Come As Early As Fall
He thinks we'll need booster in the fall "and forward."
Many people are just signing up for their third vaccine dose, but now there comes news that we might need a booster on top of our booster.
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel says he thinks that a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be needed to keep people protected from the virus, and it might be needed sooner that you think.
Bancel predicts that the efficacy of the booster shot will have fallen significantly by fall 2022 and another dose will be needed, Reuters reports.
"I still believe we're going to need boosters in the fall of '22 and forward," Bancel said during a health conference organized by Goldman Sachs.
Moderna is still actively working on creating a vaccine specific to the Omicron variant, but the chances of it being ready and accessible to the vast majority of people in the next few months are slim, he said.
Bancel said his prediction is based on what we saw with the initial two doses and their fading protection over time, reports CNBC.
Moderna recently said in a news release that its booster is effective at amping up protection against the virus, particularly with Omicron variant.
Data from a UK study shows that the efficacy of the booster shot begins to decline four weeks after it's administered, and by week 10, they are only about 40-50% percent effective.
However, Bancel also came bearing optimistic news during the conference.
He thinks that the Omicron variant may also be the cause that propels us from a pandemic to an endemic, which means the crisis surrounding COVID will decrease significantly.
Pfizer's CEO has also floated the idea of a fourth vaccine dose in the future — if the world does the hit the WHO's target of vaccinating everyone by this summer.