Pfizer to seek OK for 3rd vaccine dose; shots still protect

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – Pfizer says it is about to seek U.S. authorization for a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine.

The company said Thursday that another shot could dramatically boost immunity and maybe help ward off the latest worrisome coronavirus mutant.

Research from multiple countries shows the widely used COVID-19 vaccines offer strong protection against the highly contagious delta variant.

But virus-fighting antibodies naturally wane. Pfizer says early data from a company trial suggests people’s antibody levels jump after they get a third dose. But the filing doesn’t mean third doses would be rolled out any time soon.

Public health officials would have to decide if they’re really needed.

In this March 2021 photo provided by Pfizer, vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared for packaging at the company’s facility in Puurs, Belgium. Pfizer is about to seek U.S. authorization for a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine, saying Thursday, July 8, 2021, that another shot within 12 months could dramatically boost immunity and maybe help ward off the latest worrisome coronavirus mutant. (Pfizer via AP)