American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna, a vaccine manufacturer that produces one of three FDA emergency use approved vaccines in the U.S. said in a recent earnings call that those who got the shot might eventually need a booster jab. This is in spite of a previous statement that said that protection against COVID does not wane six months after the second dose.
In a statement released on August 5, Moderna's Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Bancel said that their COVID vaccine is "showing durable efficacy of 93% through six months, but recognize that the Delta variant is a significant new threat so we must remain vigilant."
However, the New York Times reported that during a recent earnings call, executives of the vaccine manufacturer said they predict that a booster jab will be needed to address the Delta variant of COVID, which emerged after they collected the results of their initial study on the longevity of the vaccine's protection against the disease.
"We believe a dose three of a booster will likely be necessary to keep us as safe as possible through the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere," Moderna President Dr. Stephen Hoge said.
Countries such as Germany, Israel, and France have already decided to administer a booster jab for the more vulnerable such as older citizens and those with compromised immune systems. The Biden administration is considering the same, despite scientists failing to reach a conclusion on whether vaccinated folks do need a booster jab.
According to National File, the Biden administration is increasingly mandating vaccine directives such as requiring all federal employees to get the jab or be subjected to stringent COVID testing, social distancing, mask mandates, and travel restrictions. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is also looking to get President Joe Biden's permission to require active duty troops the same.
In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio is slated to require proof of vaccination or a vaccine passport for leisure activities such as eating at restaurants, visiting entertainment venues, and going to gyms.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's leading and controversial infectious diseases expert and medical adviser to the White House, said that he's "strongly in favor" of providing a booster jab to those who have compromised immune systems.
"We need to look at them in a different light," Dr. Fauci said, as reported by Bloomberg. "We will almost certainly be boosting those people before we boost the general population that's been vaccinated, and we should be doing that reasonably soon."
The report revealed that in San Francisco, health authorities are consulting with citizens who got the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine and would like a supplemental dose of Pfizer or Moderna. Dr. Fauci said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will release a recommendation about a booster jab "as soon as they see that level of durability of protection goes down."
