Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine booster shot has shown remarkable results after phase 3 trials revealed that it has very high efficacy at 95.6%, the company, along with its partner, BioNTech, announced on Thursday.
Officials noted that the efficacy showed by the booster shot was consistent regardless of the patient's age, sex, race, ethnicity, or comorbid conditions. The pharmaceutical company's trial included more than 10,000 fully vaccinated people who were aged 16 years and older.
Pfizer Booster Shot Efficacy
The people for the trial were chosen randomly and were given either the 30-microgram booster dose of vaccine or a placebo. The companies noted that 11 months was the set median time between completion of the initial two-dose regimen and receiving the booster shot or placebo, CNN reported.
The two pharmaceutical companies reported that during the trials, they recorded 109 cases of coronavirus infections among participants who received a placebo and five cases among those who got the booster shot. Authorities revealed that the efficacy they observed was primarily due to the booster shots.
"These results provide further evidence of the benefits of boosters as we aim to keep people well-protected against this disease. In addition to our efforts to increase global access and uptake among the unvaccinated," said Pfizer's chairman and chief executive officer, Albert Bourla.
Pfizer's results of booster shot efficacy come after a day when the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized booster shots from the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccines. Authorities said that Americans had the option to get a booster shot from a different vaccine brand, Reuters reported.
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A similar recommendation was made on Thursday by a panel of expert advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The decision paved the way for final approval from the agency's director that would allow the booster shots in the following days after the recommendation.
Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine booster shot was previously authorized to be given at least six months after the initial two-dose regimen and only for people aged 65 and older, those at risk of severe disease, and those who are commonly exposed to the virus due to the nature of their work, such as healthcare workers, Yahoo News reported.
Recommendation of Booster Shots
The recommendation was made by CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Thursday and will allow millions of United States residents to start getting their booster shots for the coronavirus vaccine. Walensky also noted that Americans can mix and match vaccines and booster shots, choosing whichever one they wanted that was available.
The CDC released a recommendation revision to place Pfizer and Modernas booster shots in the same category. Members of the CDC's Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices had previously agreed that people who received the coronavirus vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson should get another dose.
The CDC later announced that a recommendation for booster shots for all three available COVID-19 vaccines was available. Authorities noted that some people may have a preference for their initial vaccine brands while others may want to receive shots from a different manufacturer.
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