Third Shot And Done? Annual Boosters May Not Be Needed, CDC Director Says

The Hill: CDC Director: Annual COVID-19 Dose After Booster Not Anticipated
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky on Thursday said that while the CDC is recommending booster COVID-19 shots, annual shots going forward may not be necessary. "You know, this virus has been humbling, so I don't want to say never, but we are not necessarily anticipating that you will need this annually," Walensky said told host Tony Dokoupil during an appearance on "CBS This Morning." "It does look like after this third dose you get a really robust response, and so we will continue to follow the science both on the vaccine side but also on the virus side," she said. (Choi, 8/19)

CNBC: CDC Director Says We Might Not Need Annual Covid Boosters After Third Shot
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Thursday that Americans may not need yearly Covid-19 booster shots, suggesting that a third shot may sufficiently strengthen the long-term protection of Pfizer’s or Moderna’s vaccines. Walensky’s remarks come a day after she and other top U.S. health officials said they plan to start offering boosters to all eligible Americans eight months after their second vaccine shots. The effectiveness of mRNA vaccines lessens over time, particularly for anyone at high risk for dangerous coronavirus complications or for those who were immunized early in the vaccine rollout, Walensky and several of the country’s top medical officials said in a statement Wednesday. (Towey, 8/19)

In news on tensions over booster use —

Bloomberg: Vaccine Booster Review Postponed By CDC As Debate Swirls Over Third Shot
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has pushed back by one week a meeting by a group of outside advisers who were set to review Covid booster shots as debate swells about the need for a third dose. The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, originally scheduled to meet and possibly make a recommendation about the need for boosters on Aug. 24, is now set to convene the following week. The delay was posted on the CDC website and confirmed by multiple committee members. The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that it plans to allow most fully vaccinated adults to get a third shot of vaccines from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. eight months after their second dose, starting Sept. 20. (Torrence, 8/19)

CNBC: Scientists Blast U.S. Push For Covid Vaccine Booster Shots As Premature, Say Data Isn’t Compelling
Scientists sharply criticized the Biden administration’s push to widely distribute Covid-19 vaccine booster shots in the U.S. next month, saying the data provided by federal health officials this week wasn’t compelling enough to recommend third shots to most of the American population right now. U.S. health leaders say they are preparing to offer booster shots to all eligible Americans beginning the week of Sept. 20. The plan, outlined Wednesday by CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci and other health officials, calls for a third dose eight months after people get their second shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. (Lovelace Jr., 8/19)

KHN: ‘We Sent A Terrible Message’: Scientists Say Biden Jumped The Gun With Vaccine Booster Plan 
The Biden administration’s plans to make covid-19 booster shots available next month has drawn a collective scream of protest from the scientific community. As some scientists see it, the announcement is rash and based on weak evidence, and they worry it could undercut confidence in vaccines with no clear benefit of controlling the pandemic. Meanwhile, more information is needed on potential side effects or adverse effects from a booster shot, they say. Perhaps even worse, the announcement has fueled deeper confusion about what Americans need to do to protect themselves from covid. (Pradhan, 8/20)

On vaccine strategies from drugmakers, scientists —

The Wall Street Journal: As Covid-19 Boosters Loom, Pfizer And Moderna Expected To See Billions More In Sales 
Vaccine makers Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. are on track to notch billions more in sales than previously expected, as new booster-shot strategies and concerns about the Delta variant push demand, and the companies raise prices in the U.S. and elsewhere. The Biden administration on Wednesday urged adult Americans who received two doses of messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna to get a third dose eight months later. (Schwartz, 8/19)

Axios: The Importance Of Vaccine Timing 
More time between COVID vaccine doses may help build more durable immunity, experts say. The three- or four-week interval between the first and second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines was relatively short — and may help explain why the U.S. is now preparing for third doses. "When you make that decision to do a three- or four-week interval, it sacrifices length of protection and durability of protection," said Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College. (Reed, 8/20)

Also —

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Booster Time
As covid-19 cases in the U.S. continue to rise, the Biden administration is countering with new strategies. The latest efforts include preparing for vaccine boosters starting this fall, requiring that nursing home workers be vaccinated and pushing back against state bans on mask mandates in schools. Meanwhile, the U.S. House is returning early from its summer break to begin work on a planned $3.5 trillion budget bill that will address a long list of health issues, including changes to Medicare and Medicaid, extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies and lowering prescription drug prices. (8/19)

Modern Healthcare: Nursing Homes Prepare For Booster Rollout
As U.S. health officials announced Wednesday that they would begin offering booster shots to Americans this fall, nursing homes began preparing for another vaccination push. The Biden administration said anyone who had received their COVID-19 vaccine at least eight months prior would be eligible for a booster shot, pending federal approvals, starting the week of Sept. 20, meaning that healthcare providers, nursing home residents and seniors would be among the first eligible. Health officials said they will begin to directly deliver booster shots to residents of long-term care facilities at that time. (Christ, 8/19)

The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Will Begin Giving COVID Vaccine Boosters Next Month Pending FDA Approval 
Baltimore will be prepared to begin administering boosters of the coronavirus vaccine by Sept. 20, city officials announced Thursday. Citing a recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, city Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa said Baltimore will set up a semi-permanent location to distribute booster doses, starting with people who received priority status when getting their initial vaccinations including health care workers and first responders. (Opilo, 8/19)