JESSICA: TWO DOSES OF PFIZER’S COVID VACCINE MAY NOT PROTECT AGAINST THE OMICRON VARIANT. HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS THE HOSPITAL EPIDEMIOLOGIC — EPIDEMIOLOGIST AT TUFTS MEDICAL CENTER. ED: I’M NOT SURE EVERYONE REALIZES BUT THE INFORMATION COMES FROM A PRESS RELEASE SO WHILE WE WAIT FOR THE ACTUAL DATA, WHAT DOOU Y WANT PEOPLE WHO RECEIVE PFIZER TO KNOW TONIGHT, AND ARE THEY STILL LLFUY VACCINATED IF THEY HAVE ONLY RECEIVED TWO DOSES? DR. DORON: YOU’RE STILL CONSIDERED FULLY VACCINATED AFTER TWO DOSES FOR THINGS LIKE AVOIDING THE NEED FOR QUARANINE AND GETTING INTO RESTRICTED VENUES. TWO DOSES CONTINUE TO BE PROTECTIVE AGAINST SEVERE DISEASE, HOSPITALIZATION, AND DEATH AND PROBABLY WILL BE FOR OMICRON AS WELL. GETTING A BOOSTER NOW WILL LOWER YOUR LIKELIHOOD OF ABOUT INFECTION OF DELTA, A RARE, SEVERE INFECTION WITH DEL TACO, AND LIKELY WILL HELP PREVENT MILD AND SEVERE INFECTIONS WITH OMICRON. JESSICA: PFIZER’S CEO SAYS GETTING A BOOSTR IMPROVES PROTECTION FROM OMICRON. HOW DOES HE KNOW THAT? IS IT TOO EARLY TO SAY OR RELEASE THAT INFORMATION? DR. DORON: IT IS TRUE THAT WE DO NOT HAVE ANY CLINICAL DATA YET ON HOW WELL BOOSTERS PROTECT AGAINST OMICR,ON BUT WE NOW HAVE SOME LAB DATA IN A PRESS RELEASE FROM PFIZER. IT SHOWS THERE IS A 25 FOLD DROP IN THE ABILITYF O AIBNTODIES FROM DOUBLE VACCINATED PEOPLE TO NEUTRALIZE THE OMICRON VIA,NTAR COMPARED TO THE ORIGINAL STRAIN OF THE VIRUS THE VACCINES WEER MADE FOR. BECAUSE BOOSTERS RAISE ANTIBODY LEVELS 25 TIMES, IT IS POSSIBLE THEY EENSSTIALLY CANCEL OUT THE IMMUNE POTENTIAL OF OMICRON. ED: YOU NEED TO GET THAT. YOU ARE A DOCTOR. ARE YOU OK? DR. DORON: IT IS SPAM. JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE ED: I WANTED TO MAKE SURE. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SITTING AT HOME AND WATCHING THIS. THEY THINK I GOT THE MODERNA OR JOHNSON & JOHNSON. THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO ME. DOES IT APPLY TO THEM? WHAT DO YOU SAY TO TM?HE DR. DORON: WE KNOW THAT MODERNA IS VERY SIMILAR TO PFIZER IN THE LAB DAN CLINICALLY AND IN SOME WAYS BETTER SO FOR NOW, WE CANNOT — EXTRAPOLATE –WE CAN EXTRAPOLATE THE BOOSTER WILL BE BENEFICIAL. JOHNSON & JOHNSON IS DIFFERENT BUT WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS ROBUST AND LONG-LASTING CELLULAR IMMUNITY. CELLULAR IMMUNITY PROTECTS AGAINST SEVERE DISEASE AND HOSPITALIZATION AND DEATH AND THAT IS LIKELY TO BE WELL PRESERVED, BUT I STRONGLY RECOMMEND JOHNSON & JOHNSON RECIPIENTS G AET BOOSTER, IF IT HAS BEEN TWO MONTHS SINCE YOUR SINGLE-DOSE, TO INCREASE PROTECTION. JESSICA: AS YOU KNOW SO FAR, PUBLICEA HLTH OF — OFFICIALS HAVE ONLY DETECTED A FEW DOZEN CASES OF OMICRON IN THE U.S., ONLY ONE IN MASSACHUSETTS. NO EVIDENCE OF COMMUNITY SPREAD NEAR US. WHITE THEIR URGENCY? IS IT BETTER TO WAIT UNTIL WE KNOW MORE? DR. DON:RO IT IS URGENT THAT PEOPLE WHO AREOT N VACCINATED GET VACCINATEDOW N OBVIOUSLY, NOT JUST BECAUSE OF OMICRON BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY BECAUSE OF THE HIGH RATE OF DELTA CIRCULATING RIGHT NOW. BECAEUS WE ARE HEADING INTO A LONG WINTER WITH A LOT OF COMMUNITY SPREAD THAT WE ANTICIPATE OF DELTA AND I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE BOOSTERS. THEY WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE, EVEN IF WE GET LUCKY AND EVEN IF THE OMICRON SITUATION FIZZLES OUT. :ED

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Video: How beneficial is a COVID-19 booster shot? Boston doctor explains

Updated: 5:08 PM EST Dec 8, 2021

Anchor/Reporter

A new laboratory study suggests two doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine may not offer enough protection against omicron coronavirus variant.

BOSTON —

A new laboratory study suggests two doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine may not offer enough protection against omicron coronavirus variant.

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