Moderna To Investors: 3rd COVID Booster Shot Will Be Needed by Winter

Screenshot from Moderna 2nd Quarter Earnings Presentation

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Although it is not welcome news, given the emergence of a more aggressive Delta variant (and others, like Lambda, Epsilon, and Beta in the wings), and reports of declining vaccine effectiveness in Israel (and more recently in the UK), it should come as no surprise that vaccine manufacturers - and some governments - are increasingly looking at the need for a COVID booster shot sooner rather than later. 

A week ago Israel announced plans to begin offering a booster shot to older citizens, while the city of San Francisco has reportedly authorized a booster shot for anyone who received the J&J vaccine.

Last May, we looked at the plans by the UK To Begin A New Clinical Trial On COVID `Booster' Vaccines, while just last week in UK SAGE: Can We Predict the Limits of SARS-CoV-2 Variants and their Phenotypic Consequences?, we looked at the inevitability of needing updated vaccines against COVID.

Meanwhile the World Health Organization's Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus yesterday called for a moratorium on booster shots until at least September, to allow at least 10% of the population in all countries to be vaccinated. 

At the White House press conference yesterday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki characterized this moratorium as a `false choice', stating that ". . . . we feel that it’s a false choice and that we can do both. We announced just yesterday that we hit an important milestone of over 110 million vaccines donated to the world. That is more than any other country has shared, combined. "

The FDA. of course, has not come out in favor of a booster shot.  They are reviewing the data, and they - and the CDC - admonished PFizer for seeking FDA approval on a booster shot a month ago (see CDC & FDA Joint Statement On Booster Shots For COVID).

While it may take a few more months to solidify, the evidence we're seeing of diminished vaccine effectiveness over time - and due to emerging variants - continues to mount.  Booster shots, whether this winter or sometime next year, seem inevitable. 

None of these vaccine obstacles (vaccine hesitancy, limited supplies, disparities in availability around the world) were unexpected (see last October's A COVID Vaccine Reality Check), even if they have been downplayed by public officials. 

Whether a booster shot is needed by this winter, or next year, I'm still quite grateful for the protection I've been afforded from the first two shots.  It may not be perfect, but I am far less likely to end up in the hospital if I am infected, and I'll settle for that any day. 

But, as I have done consistently since the pandemic began, I'll continue to take other reasonable precautions - such as avoiding crowds, diligent hand hygiene, and wearing a face mask in public - because I know the vaccine isn't foolproof.  It is just one layer of defense. 

As the effectiveness of my vaccine diminishes, and as community levels of infection rise - or worse, if more resistant variants emerge - these actions will likely become even more important in the months ahead. 

As tired as we all are of this pandemic, we are in a marathon against COVID-19, and the virus doesn't even look a bit fatigued.