Pfizer says vaccine efficacy wanes over time, makes case for booster shot

According to new data presented to the Food and Drug Administration, the Pfizer company said the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine tends to weaken over time, but can be improved with a booster vaccine.

This new revelation comes as the pharmaceutical company attempts to persuade the Food and Drug Administration to approve a booster shot for everyone over the age of 16.

According to Epoch Times, the company detailed the data in a presentation which will be delivered to a meeting of outside advisers to the FDA on Friday. The panel is expected to make recommendations for whether more Americans should receive booster shots.

“Real-world data from Israel and the United States suggest that rates of breakthrough infections are rising faster in individuals who were vaccinated earlier in the vaccination campaigns compared to those who have been vaccinated more recently,” Pfizer said during its presentation this week, which was posted on the FDA website.

While the effectiveness of the vaccine wanes over time, a booster shot was shown to elicit an immune response similar to the protection generated after a second dose, Pfizer said in a 52-page presentation released by the agency Wednesday.

The decrease in effectiveness is “primarily due to waning of vaccine immune responses over time,” rather than the delta variant, Pfizer researchers said in the presentation.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration still plans on rolling out a booster program as earlier as next week if the FDA gives approval of a third shot.