07/08/2021 20:04
Clarín.com
World
Updated 07/08/2021 20:04
Pfizer will request authorization from the United States regulators for
a third dose
of its coronavirus vaccine since, according to the pharmaceutical company, another injection within 12 months could
dramatically increase immunity
and perhaps provide protection against the new variants. most contagious of the virus.
Research in several countries shows that Pfizer injection and other widely used COVID-19 vaccines offer
strong protection against the
more contagious
Delta variant
, which is spreading rapidly around the world.
In Argentina it was detected in 7 cases, all imported.
Two doses of most vaccines are critical for developing high levels of antibodies against all versions of the coronavirus, not just the Delta variant (first detected in India).
But in much of the world, the first dose has yet to be received or the second is delayed as the pandemic continues.
Antibodies naturally decline over time, so studies are also underway to determine if and when boosters may be needed.
"The companies hope to publish more definitive data soon, as well as in a peer-reviewed journal, and plan to send the data to the FDA (of the United States), the EMA (of Europe) and other regulatory authorities in the coming weeks," the Pfizer and BioNTech laboratories indicated in a joint statement.
Pfizer's Dr. Mikael Dolsten told the AP agency on Thursday that early data from the company's booster study indicates that a person's antibodies
rise five to 10 times
after a third dose, compared with a second injection months before.
Pfizer plans to apply to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency authorization of a third dose in August, the doctor said.
Why is this important for the Delta variant?
Dolsten pointed to data from Britain and Israel showing that Pfizer's vaccine "neutralizes very well" this variant. The assumption, he said, is that when antibodies get low enough,
the Delta variant could cause a mild infection
before the immune system reactivates.
FDA clearance would only be a first step;
It wouldn't automatically mean that people are offered boosters
, said Dr. William Schaffner, a vaccine expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Public health authorities would have to
decide if they are really necessary
, especially since millions of people have no protection.
"The vaccines were designed to keep us out of the hospital," and continue to do so despite the delta variant, he said. Giving another dose would be "a big effort while we're still trying to get people to get the first dose."
Source: AP and AFP
Look also
Moderna's vaccine is not yet licensed for children and adolescents
Coronavirus in Argentina: 19,256 new cases and 466 other deaths confirmed in the last 24 hours
Covid: a Buenos Aires municipality is going to raffle a 0km car to encourage young people to get vaccinated
One by one, the City's measures to ease restrictions