Dr. Fauci: ‘We Very Well May Need to Get Booster Shots’ After A Year or So to Maintain Covid Immunity

Sarah RumpfApr 11th, 2021, 9:52 pm
 

Dr. Anthony Fauci told MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan that booster shots for the Covid-19 vaccine very well may be needed after about a year or so to maintain immunity against the virus.

Pfizer, the manufacturer of one of the three vaccines currently approved by the FDA for emergency use authorization (EUA) in the U.S., announced last week that testing had shown their vaccine to be effective for at least six months, said Hasan, asking Fauci what he expected would be needed regarding vaccine boosters.

“We need to be careful about that six month number,” said Fauci, noting that that time period was how long they had been able to study so far. “We know for sure it’s effective for six months and highly likely that it will be effective for considerably longer period of time,” he explained.

To know the real answer regarding the duration of immunity, said Fauci, it would be necessary to continue to study people in the months to come, regarding both their level of antibodies and if and when there were any new infections.

“So the good news is that it’s at least six months,” added Fauci. “Hopefully a lot more. But in direct answer to your question, if it turns out a year or a year and a half, we very well may need to get booster shots to keep up the level of protection.”

Watch the video above, via MSNBC.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.