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The FDA and CDC say you don’t need a third shot yet

Pfizer said its COVID-19 vaccine booster shot could be ready soon. FDA and CDC threw cold water on the idea

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Smith’s pharmacy technician administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Smith’s pharmacy technician Wendy Flores administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination event at a church in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 20, 2021.

Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

It might not be time for a third coronavirus vaccine just yet, according to both the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention.

Pfizer suggests third COVID-19 vaccine shot could be ready

Pfizer said Thursday that it will soon reach out to the FDA for authorization for a COVID-19 booster shot, as I wrote for the Deseret News.

  • Per The Associated Press, Pfizer said a third shot could boost immunity against coronavirus mutations.

CDC, FDA reject third COVID-19 booster shot

But the CDC and FDA released a rare joint statement about the potential third COVID-19 vaccine shot, saying it’s not time for Americans to get another shot yet, according to CNN.

  • “Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time,” the two agencies said.

World Health Organization responds to third shot news

The World Health Organization weighed in on the booster shot idea, saying it’s unclear when boosters will be needed, Reuters reports.

  • “We don’t know whether booster vaccines will be needed to maintain protection against COVID-19 until additional data is collected,” the WHO said.
  • Right now, there is “limited data available on how long the protection from current doses lasts and whether an additional booster dose would be beneficial and for whom,” the WHO said.