Moderna CEO Bancel says people may need another booster by the fall

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

The efficacy of boosters against Covid-19 is likely to decline over the next few months and people may need another shot in the fall of 2022, Moderna Chief Executive Officer Stephane Bancel said at a Goldman Sachs-organized healthcare conference on Thursday.

Bancel said the company is working on a vaccine candidate tailored to the omicron variant of the coronavirus, but is unlikely to be available in the next two months.

“I still believe we’re going to need boosters in the fall of ‘22 and forward,” Bancel said.

His comments on needing a fourth shot come on the heels of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett citing a study on Tuesday that a fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccine boosts antibodies five-fold a week after the shot is administered.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/moderna-ceo-bancel-says-people-may-need-another-booster-fall-rcna11325

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These vaccines are not like the "long-term" ones for "polio" or "tetanus", etc. They need to start shifting the messaging to this type being "annual".

If what I have from my Moderna vaccines (2 primary + a booster) lasts until next fall, then fine. I would just get it with an annual flu shot (and several companies are working on combo flu-COVID vaccines right now, and are looking at mRNA flu ones to eventually be used in such a combo in the future)

[FarPoint]

1. I'm going to do....

every 6 months cycle....that makes my next dose in May 2022.....Now I'm not totally fixed on 6 months mind you but I do recognize the need to Boost.... This virus changes and treatment approaches change....

[jimfields33]

5. I'd rather hope somebody besides a CEO of the vaccine comes

out and recommends this. Seems weird to hear a guy who makes big bucks by the very vaccination making the recommendation.

[RocRizzo55]

6. Exactly.

When someone like him makes such recommendations, I can’t help but to think that he is doing it to fatten his wallet.

[NH Ethylene]

8. Agree.

I would like to see independent research driving these decisions.

[George II]

2. I don't have a problem getting it every six months. Better that than the alternative.

As time goes by I'm sure it won't have to be every six months, but even so no big deal.

Most, if not all, hospitals and medical centers have required annual flu shots anyway.

[OneCrazyDiamond]

3. I am hoping the Army vaccine

undercuts this paradigm. Leaky vaccines have downsides. It sure would be nice to move out of whatever we end up calling this phase of human existence.

[appalachiablue]

9. +1

[ZonkerHarris]

4. ok

[twodogsbarking]

7. Expected. Hope it is available as needed.

[deelee]

10. If true, the CDC needs to get off it's duff

and make the vaccines available to everyone when needed. They held out "allowing" the non immune compromised official access to the recent booster until late Nov - causing another mad rush to try to tame the latest variant. There are PLENTY of vaccines available - let us all get them at the 6 month mark from our previous. I've seen dozens of vaxxed but unboosted (some with appointments on the calendar) get Covid in the past few weeks. The entire handling of this pandemic, even w/o TFG, is still extremely subpar.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. You apparently missed the meeting that was just held earlier this week

The guidance is changed to 5 months for booster timing - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html

And during the CDC ACIP meeting, it was also recommended (and this will probably be adopted) that moving forward, the terminology that references someone's "vaccine status", should be changed from -

"Fully vaccinated" (including any additional term "and boosted" for those eligible)

to the term -

"Up to date"

to cover however number of doses (whether as additional FULL doses or as additional LESSER doses ( "booster" ) might be needed by various populations.

Be aware that there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to things related to human biology and any therapeutics that might be needed/used by someone.

[electric_blue68]

12. Genuinely if needed, sure. I suppose as some have said...

It might become a yearly vaccine.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. Several of the pharma & biotech companies are working on combined flu/COVID-19 vaccines

which include trialing the first mRNA flu vaccine and also trialing the regular flu vaccine in combination with their mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (which would probably be a "transition" type of thing before they confirm a safe/effective mRNA flu one).

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41573-021-00176-7
https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/moderna-s-mrna-flu-vaccine
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/moderna-developing-single-dose-combination-vaccine-covid-19-flu-2021-09-09/

Another example is a trial recruiting participants for the recominant DNA type COVID-19 vaccine in combo with a flu vaccine - https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05107375

[Hekate]

14. Fine with me