Moderna’s Chief Executive Officer Stephane Bancel said on Thursday that people may need a fourth COVID-19 shot in the fall of 2022 due to the efficacy of third shots likely declining in the next several months.
Last week, Israel became the first country to approve a fourth dose of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, a second booster, for people who are immune-compromised and the elderly living in care homes.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett released a preliminary study on Tuesday that reported a fourth shot can “boost antibodies five-fold” a week after the shot is administered.
Bancel told Thursday’s conference that he also believes elderly citizens and those with underlying health conditions may need to get a booster shot every year.
![The CEO of Moderna Stéphane Bancel is seen in this video frame grab as he speaks during an interview with AFP on Nov. 17, 2020. (Ivan Couronne/AFP via Getty Images)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F04%2F15%2Fe5e0a2d0f16ffba22cb943ea1e314176-1200x764.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
“This booster dose will provide optimized protection against COVID-19 and the Omicron variant. I encourage all parents to keep their children up to date with CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendations,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC’s director, said in a statement.
The CDC and FDA, relying on data from Israel, determined the booster’s benefits outweigh its risks.
Moderna, which benefits from repeat inoculations, during its third-quarter earnings results said commercial booster market sales could be up to $2 billion in the United States in 2022.