THUNDERSTORMS. JEN? JENNIFER: OK, CINDY. THANK YOU. AMERICANS WHO HAVE RECEIVED TWO DOSES OF PFIZER’S COVID VACCINE MAY OR MAYOT N NEED A THIRD DOSE DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ASK. HERE WITH HER ANSWER IS DR. ERICA SHENOY, ASSOCIATE CHIEF OF THE INFECONTI CONTROL UNIT AT MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL. DOCTOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. THE HEADLINES ABOUT THIS HAVE BEEN CONFUSING. PFIZER SAYS IT WANTS TO DISTRIBUTE A BOOSTER SHOT THAT OFFERS BETTER PROTECTION AGAINST THE DELTA VARIAN T. THE FDA AND THE CDC BOTH SAY PEOPLE WHO ARE FULLY VACCINATED DON’T NEED IT. SO WHICH IS ? IT >> YES, I AGREE, IT’S ACTUALLY QUEIT CONFUSING WHEN YOU’RE READIN TGHE HEADLINES, BUT I THINK THE MAIN POINT HERE ISHE T JURY IS CURRENTLY OUT AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WE’RE GOING TO NEED A BOOSTER VACCINE ANDWH EN. WE KNOW FROM THE NATIONAL DATA RIGHT NOW THAT THE MAJORITY OF NEW INFECTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES ARE IN UNVACCINATED INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE COUNTING FOR OVER 99% OF HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS. SO THATS I A TESTAMENT TOOW H EFFECTIVE THE VACCINES ARE. THAT SAID, THE DATARE A ACCUMULATING ORVE TIME AS TO HOW LONG INDIVIDUALS REMAIN PROTECTED, THE DURATION OF IMMUNITY, AND SPECIFICALLY ALSO RELATED TO THE VARIANTS AS TO HOW WELL THEY PROTECT. AND IT’S POSSIBLE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS OR MONTHS WE’LL LEARN THAT A BOOSTER STRATEGY IS NECESSARY. I THINK WE ALSO HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THAT IT MAY NOT BE FOR EVERYONE. THERE MAY BE SPECIFIC POPULATIONS FOR WHOM A BOOSTER IS REALLY IMPORTANT, AND WE’LL JUST LEARN THAT. AND RIGHT NOWT A LEAST AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME THE VACCINES APPE TARO BE VYER EFFECTIVE, EVEN WHEN THE DELTA VARIANT IS THE CCUIRLATING STRAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. NNJEIFER: OK. WE KWNO THAT THE DELTA VARNTIA IS MORE TRANSMISSIBLE. DO YOU THINK WE NEED TO BE MORE CAUTIOUS IN PUBCLI EVEN IF WREE’ FULLY VACCINATED? >> SO IT IS MORE TRANSMISSIBLE SO FAR. I THINK THEOO GD NEWS IS WE STILL APPEAR TO HAVE QUITE GOOD EFFICACY AGAINST PREVENTING SOME OF THE MOST SEVERE OUTCOMES FMRO DISEASE, SO EVEN IF INFECTED, THE INFECTIONS TEND TO BE MI. LD THAT SA,ID WHETHER OR NOT ONE PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL CHANGES THEIR BEHAVIOR IS ALMOST REALLY A VERY PERSONAL DECISION. SO IT CAN RANGE FROM A FULLY VACCINATED INDIDIVUAL HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS WHERE THE AMOUNT OF VIRUS CIRCULATINGS I GENERALLY QUITE LO W. IT’S TICKED UP A LITTLE BIT IN THE LAST FOUR WEEKS. WE’RE WATCHING THAT CLOSELY. BUT THAT’S VERY DIFFERENT THAN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY WHERE THERE MAY BE MUCH MORE VIRUS CIRCULATING AND SO THE CHANCE OF YOU ENCOUNTERING SOMNEEO OUT AND ABOUT WITH VIRUS IS DIFFERENT THAN IT IS HERE. SO I WOULD SAY WHETHER OR TNO YOU CHANGE YOUR PERSONAL BEHAVIOR IS RLLEAY A PERSONAL DECISION. YOU KNOW YOURSELF BEST IN TMSER OF HOW EFFECTIVE THE VACCINE MAY HAVE BEEN IN YOU. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOUR DOCTOR SAYS TO YO YU,OU KNOW, BECAUSE OF YOUR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, YOU’RE IMMUNOCOMPROMISED, YOU MAY NOT B AES PROTECT. ED YOU MAY TAKE ADDITIONAL STEP S. OTHERWISE, FULLY VACCINATED INDIVIDUALS CAN FEEL CONFIDENT THEY’RE WELL-PROTECTED FROM THE VIRUS. JENNIFER: WE WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT A NEW STUDY FROM THE U.K. THAT SUBJECTING THE SYMPTOMS FROM COVID MAY BE CHANGING WITH ETH VIRUS AND WHETHER YOU’VE BEEN VACCINATED OR NOT COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT? >> SO THESE ARE RESULTS FROM THE COVID SYMPTOMS STUDY. IT’S AN INTERESTING STUDY BECAUSE THEY’VE HAD INDIVIDUALS REPORTING THEIR SYMPTOMS IN AN APP FOR ACTUALLY I THINK MOST OF THE PANDEMIC, THEY’VE BEEN ENROLLING INDIVIDUAL S. AND WE ALREADY KNOW THAT BREAKTHROUGH INFECTIONS TEND TO BE MORE MILD AND I THINK IT WOULD STAND TO REASON TTHA THE SYMPTOMS THAT PEOPLE REPORT, BREAKTHROUGH INFECTIONS WOULD BE DIFFERENT TN IHAN SOMEONE WHO IS HAVING THEIR FIRST INFECTION OR AN INFECTION IN AN UNVACCINATED INDIVIDUAL. I THINK THE TAKEHOME PNTOI IS THT WHETHER YOU’RE VACCINATED OR NOT, IF YOUEV DELOP SYMPTOMS CONSISTENT WITH COVID THATOU Y TALK WITH YOUR DOCTOR AND FIGURE OUT IF YOU NEED TOET G TESTED. JENNIFER: GOOD TO KNOW. DR. ERICA SHENOY, ASSOCIATE CHIEF OF THE INFECONTI CONTROL UNIT AT MASS GENERAL HOSPIT

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Video: Boston doctor weighs in on potential need for third COVID-19 vaccine dose

Updated: 11:49 AM EDT Jul 10, 2021

Pfizer says it wants to distribute a booster shot that better protects against the delta variant, but the FDA and CDC say those who are fully vaccinated don’t need it.

BOSTON —

Pfizer says it wants to distribute a booster shot that better protects against the delta variant, but the FDA and CDC say those who are fully vaccinated don’t need it.

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