Scientists question evidence behind US Covid-19 booster shot drive

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The Biden administration's plan to provide Covid-19 vaccine boosters is based on concerns that a decrease in the vaccines' ability to protect against milder infections could also mean people will have less protection against severe illness, a premise that has yet to be proven, scientists say.

Experts say the US plan requires thorough vetting by the Food and Drug Administration and a panel of outside advisers to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

US officials, citing data showing waning protection against mild and moderate illness from the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines more than six months after inoculation, said boosters will be made widely available starting on September 20.

Read the full Reuters story here.

In this file photo, a woman receives the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as a booster dose at Skippack Pharmacy in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, US. — Reuters/File
In this file photo, a woman receives the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as a booster dose at Skippack Pharmacy in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, US. — Reuters/File

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