Moderna CEO says fourth dose of vaccine may be needed in fall

(Hill) – Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel on Thursday said people may need a fourth shot of the coronavirus vaccine in the fall of 2022, CNBC and other media outlets.

Bancel, while speaking at a healthcare event hosted by Goldman Sachs, said that the enhanced effectiveness would diminish over time, similar to the first two shots of a COVID-19 vaccine.

However, he said people will likely have enough protection from last fall’s booster shot to make it through the winter, CNBC added.

While referring to the strength of the boost shot, he said, “I’d be surprised when we get that data in the coming weeks that it holds up well over time,” adding, “I hope Hopefully it won’t go so well,” according to the news outlet.

“I still believe we’ll need boosters in the fall of ’22 on,” Bancel said Reuters.

Bancel added that COVID “is not going to go away.”

“We will have to live with it,” he said.

His remarks echo Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, who said in December that fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine may ultimately be necessary amid concerns about omicron variation.

For now, however, Pfizer says that three doses appear to provide good protection.

Government of Israel delivered a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare workers and individuals 60 years of age and older in an effort to increase protection amid the pandemic’s omicron wave.

School entrance exam results published showed that the second booster dose saw “a fivefold increase in the number of antibodies in immunized humans”, according to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.