Pfizer-BioNTech say booster shot restores full Covid protection

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE said a booster shot of their Covid-19 vaccine restored full protection in a large study, results that are likely to bolster the argument for giving a third dose more widely.

A booster was 95.6% effective against symptomatic Covid in the study, which followed 10,000 people aged 16 and older, the companies said in a statement Thursday. The fast-spreading delta variant was the predominate strain during the trial.

"We believe boosters have a critical role to play in addressing the ongoing public health threat of this pandemic," Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said in a statement. The companies said they'll share the data with health authorities in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere.


Regulators have wrestled with how widely to use boosters as the delta variant drives infection rates up. Some countries, such as Israel, are using boosters extensively. Many others - including the US and much of Europe -have thus far come down on the side of a third dose for the elderly and other high-risk individuals. Exactly where to draw the line on who is high-risk has also been a matter of debate. Bloomberg