Pfizer CEO speaks of the 4th Shot
The fourth anti-COVID vaccine might become necessary, says Dr. Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer.
Citing the variant, Omicron, as a significant indicator of the COVID-19 seriousness, Bourla, who was the Chief Operating Officer of the pharmaceutical company before being appointed Chief Executive Officer in January 2019, recently said there may be need for people, especially the most vulnerable, to take a fourth jab.
He described the second and third COVID-19 shots figuratively as extensions of the initial wall; the one represented by the first shot people received as protection against the virus.
He explained that just as it is necessary to increase the height of a wall if the existing one is not high enough to deter the enemy, it is increasingly becoming crucial to have vaccine boosters because of the continued mutation of the coronavirus.
4th Pfizer Shot necessary for the Immuno-compromised
Dr. Bourla recalls that at the time the 3rd COVID-19 vaccine dose was released, he had projected it might not be necessary to have a follow-up shot for another whole year. However, that was when the Delta variant of the virus had become a notorious menace.
At the time, the CEO, who has now been with Pfizer for around 28yrs, and whose company’s COVID-19 vaccine was the first to receive a green light from the World Health Organization (WHO), held the notion that only people whose immunity is already compromised might require a booster within a shorter time.
Nevertheless, the seriousness of the virus has since escalated with the emergence of Omicron, a COVID-19 variant that seems to be mutating severally within a short period. As a result, Dr. Bourla is now of the opinion that while those immuno-compromised are likely to require a fourth dose very soon, everyone else might also need it earlier than he had predicted.
The Pfizer vaccine is one of those approved by America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The vaccine has also been well received in more than 123 countries worldwide and has a version for individuals aged between twelve years and above, and another for children aged between five and eleven years.
Some countries like Israel and the US have been giving their residents a third dose to boost their immunity against the coronavirus, and the Pfizer CEO suggests that some are already offering the fourth shot to their vulnerable groups as a precautionary measure.
