MODERNA SHOT OR TWO MONTHS AFTER THEIR FIRST J&J DOSE. BEN: NEW WORRIES TONIGHT THAT TWO DOSES OF ONE COVID VACCINE MAY NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH PROTECTIONGA AINST THE OMICRON VARIANT. HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS DR. DANIEL KURITZKES, CHIEF OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT BRIGHAM AND WOMEN’S HOSPIT. ERIKA: THE CEO OF PFIZER SAID TODAY, PEOPLE WHO ARE FULLY VACCINATED WITH PFIZER NOW NEED A BOOER SHOT TO NEUTRALIZE THE RISK FROM OMICN.RO HOW DO THEY KW THAT? >> MOST RECOMMENDATIONS ARE BASED ONLY LABORATORY STUDIES THEY D.ID THEY LOOKED AT BLOOD FROM PEOPLE WHO RECEID TWOVE DOSESR O THREE DOSES OF THE PFIZER VACCINE AND TEED THEST ABILITY OF THE BLOOD TO NEUTRALIZE THE VIRUS. THEY FNDOU THAT AFTER TWO DOSES ANTIBODIES WERE NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO NEUTRALIZE OMICRON. MANY PEOPLE WHO GOT A BOOSTER WERE ABLE TO NEUTRALIZE THE OMICRON VARIANT. THAT SUGGESTS BECAUSE THE ANTIBODIES ARE LITTLE LESS EFFECTIVE AGAINST OMICRON, THE HIGHER THE LEVELS YOU CAN GENERATE BY MOREOO BSTING, THE LIKELIER YOU ARE TO ACHIEVE LEVEL NEEDED TO NEUTRALIZE THE VIRUS. BEN: THE NEWS TODAY IS ABOUT PFIZER, BUT WE’RE ALREADY GETTING QUESTIS FROMON VIEWERS WHO RECEIVED ONE OF THE OTHER VACCINES. I WANT TO ASK YOU THIS ONE FROM SUSAN. SHE WRITES, I GOT THE J&J VACCINE IN MARCH AND A MODERNA BOOSTER IN OCTOBER. DO I NEED ANOTHER SHOT OR ANOTHER BOOSTETOR GET THE SAME PROTECTION AS PEOPLE WHO GOT THE TWO-SHOT PROTOCOL FROM MODERNA OR PFIZER? I DO THINK IT’S PROBABLY FAVOR, LOT OF J&J RECIPIENTS, THOUGHT THEY FINALLY CAUGHT UP GETTING A SECOND SHOT. DO THEY NEED A THIRD? >> WE DON’T KWNO YET. I’M SURE THAT WE’RE GOING TO GET THAT INFORMATION VERY SOON. EVERYBODY WHO HAS SAMPLES STORED IN THEIR FREEZER FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN GIVEN DIFFERENT REGIMENS OF BOOSTINGS I NOW TRYING TO TTES THOSE SPECIMENS AGAINST THE OMICRON VARIANT TO SEE WHAT ORDER OF BOOSTING, WHICH COMBINATIONS OF BOOSTING GIVES WHAT LEVELF O NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODY. FIRST OF ALL, I THINK IT’S STILL POIMRTANT FOR US TO REMEMBER, OMICRON IS NOT THE MOST PREVALENT VARNTIA HEAR IN THE UNITED STATES. IT’S STILL DELTA. NOBODY HASO T RUNUT O AND DO ANYTHING TOMORROW. THERE’S STILL SOME TIME TOT S THIS OUT. ERIKA: MODERNA AND PFIZER SAY THEY COULD HAVE A VACCEIN SPECIFICALLY FORMULATED FOR OMICRON READY BY MARCH. SO ARE THEY PROPOSING THAT PEOPLE MIGHT NEED THAT SHOT IN ADDITI TO AON BOOSTER ST?HO IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF SHS.OT >> IT’S EARLY TO SAY. WE WERE ASKING THAT SAME QUESTION LAST MARCH AND AILPR ABOUT BETA. BETA DIDN’T REALLY PAN OUT. IT DISAPPEARED WHEN IT WAS OVERTAKEN BY DELTA. I THINK IT’S GREAT COMPANIES ARE WORKING ON DIGNINGES OMICRON VACCINE. WHETHER THEY WILL NEED THAT OR NOT, WE’LL SEE IN E NEXT 4 TO 8 WEEKS. BEN: WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE THE KIDS UNDER 18? NONE OF THEM ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A BOOSTER SHOT. ARE THEY STILL FULLY VACCINATED WITH TWO DOSES ERICA KIDS GOT THEIR SECOND AND MINE ABOUT TO. PARENTS WERE STARTING TO BREATHE EASY ON THIS. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THEM? >> IT’S GREAT THAT YOU GOT YOUR KIDS VACCINATED. I WOULD SAY LET’S FOCUS FIRST ON MAKING SURE ALL THE OTHER KIDS WHO HAVEN’T GOTTEN VACCINAD,TE GET VACCINATED. IT’S VERY LIKELY WE’LL SEE APPROVAL FOR BOOSTING EENXTDING TO ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNGER CHILDREN. IT LOOK LEIK THESE ARE THREE SHOT VACCINES AND NOT JUST TWO SHOTS. ERIKA: DR. DANIEL KURITZKES. IT’S HARD TO BE PATIENT. WE APPRECI

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Video: Boston doctor breaks down study on Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine vs. omicron variant

Updated: 6:25 PM EST Dec 8, 2021

The CEO of Pfizer says that people who are fully vaccinated with the company’s vaccine now need a booster in order to neutralize the risk from the omicron coronavirus variant.

BOSTON —

The CEO of Pfizer says that people who are fully vaccinated with the company’s vaccine now need a booster in order to neutralize the risk from the omicron coronavirus variant.

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