A third dose of coronavirus vaccine may be necessary to prevent severe cases of new variants of the disease, bill Gates said Tuesday. The billionaire philanthropist’s comments come amid growing concern that current vaccines are less effective against South African and Brazilian variants.
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Bill Gates in Brussels to promote health and clean energy initiatives
“The discussion now is whether we just need to get super high coverage of the current vaccine, or do we need a third dose that is the same or do we need a modified vaccine?” Gates told “CBS Evening News” anchor and editor-in-chief Norah O’Donnell.
“All five companies that have vaccines in the United States are looking to make this change and add it so that people who have already received two injections may need a third,” he said. “I think it is reasonably likely that we will have a vaccine adjusted just to be absolutely sure that, as these variants reach the United States, they are not escaping vaccine protection.”
Gates is funding studies in South Africa to determine whether the AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax vaccines were just as effective against the most contagious variant.
“AstraZeneca, in particular, has a challenge with the variant. And the other two, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax, are a little less effective, but still effective enough that we can get them out as quickly as possible while studying this idea. to adjust the vaccine, “said Gates.
If the coronavirus is not eradicated, he said, additional injections may be needed in the future. “Probably not annually, but as long as it is available, we want as many Americans as possible not to disclose to each other,” he said.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former head of the Food and Drug Administration, said “Face the Nation” by CBS News on February 7 that he believed that vaccines currently being distributed in the United States would offer “reasonable protection” against new variants, even if they are less effective against new strains. Still, he said, it may also be necessary to administer reinforcement shots in the fall.
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