The potential for a third COVID-19 vaccine shot took another turn Friday, as President Joe Biden’s administration confirmed plans for a third dose are in the works.
Biden plans for third vaccine shots
Andy Slavitt, senior adviser to Biden’s COVID-19 response team, said Friday that the government recognizes the potential need for a third shot, per CNBC.
- “Requiring additional shots in the future is obviously a foreseeable potential event,” Slavitt said Friday, according to CNBC. “I want to emphasize that while there is certainly speculation about this, that is far from saying that is what’s going to happen.”
Slavitt said the Biden administration has considered the possibility that the country will need third shots.
- “I can assure you that when we do our planning, when the president orders purchases of additional vaccines as he has done and when we focus on all the production expansion opportunities that we talk about in here we very much have scenarios like that in mind,” he said, according to CNBC.
Timeline for a third vaccine shot
Both Pfizer and Moderna — which require two doses for full vaccination — have spoken about the need for third shots.
As I wrote about for the Deseret News, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel recently said the third booster shot of the vaccine would likely be available by the fall.
- “I want to make sure there are boost vaccines available in the fall so that we protect people as we go into the next fall and winter season in the U.S.,” Bancel told CNBC.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said this week it’s possible the Pfizer vaccine will require a third shot, too. He said it’s possible we’ll need shots every year to fight COVID-19.
- “It is extremely important to suppress the pool of people that can be susceptible to the virus,” he said.