Pfizer, BioNTech claim single booster shot of their COVID vaccines show 95.6% efficacy

Pfizer and BioNTech announced on Thursday, October 21, that a booster shot of their COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated 95.6% efficacy when compared to those who did not receive the booster dose. According to the researchers, the first results from any randomised, controlled COVID vaccine booster shot trial showed a good effectiveness of vaccine against the Delta strain of the virus.

Pfizer and BioNTech stated in a press release, "Pfizer-BioNTech announced the results from a Phase 3 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of a 30-ug booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in more than 10,000 individuals 16 years of age and older. In the trial, a booster dose given to people who had previously received the Pfizer-BioNTech primary two-dose series restored COVID-19 vaccination protection to the high levels seen after the second dose, with a relative vaccine efficacy of 95.6% compared to those who didn't."

The announcement further said that these are the first efficacy data from any randomised, controlled COVID-19 vaccination booster experiment. These findings, according to Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla offer further proof of the benefits of boosters. He believes that boosters have a key role to play in tackling the pandemic's continued public health risk, in addition to the efforts to enhance worldwide access and adoption among the unvaccinated. "We are excited to share this statistics with health authorities and collaborate on determining how they might be utilised to help the global rollout of booster dosages", Bourla continued.

"These important data add to the body of evidence suggesting that a booster dose of our vaccine can help protect a broad population of people from this virus and its variants. Based on these findings we believe that, in addition to broad global access to vaccines for everyone, booster vaccinations could play an important role in sustaining pandemic containment and a return to normalcy," CEO and Co-Founder of BioNTech, Ugur Sahin said.

US FDA approved booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech 

According to the statement, the adverse event profile was generally comparable with existing clinical safety data for the vaccine, and no safety concerns were detected. Pfizer and BioNTech intend to submit detailed trial results for peer-reviewed publication. The firms also want to disclose the information as quickly as feasible with the US Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, and other regulatory bodies throughout the world.

The US FDA approved a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for emergency use, for individuals 65 and older, individuals 18 to 64 years of age at high risk of severe COVID-19, and individuals 18 to 64 years of age with frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2. On October 20, 2021, the US FDA approved a booster dose of the vaccine for emergency use in qualified persons who have previously had a main vaccination with a different authorised COVID-19 vaccine. A booster dose of the COVID vaccine is also approved in the European Union and other nations, with recommendations for different groups based on local health authority instructions, according to the press release.

Image: PTI