Pfizer CEO: "COVID-19 Vaccine Will Need to Be Taken Annually"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Pfizer's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) predicted that people will need to receive the COVID-19 vaccine annually for the foreseeable future.

Albert Bourla, Pfizer CEO, stated on the 2nd (local time) that to maintain a very high level of protection against the COVID-19 virus, annual vaccination will be necessary for some time. This statement was made before the emergence of the Omicron variant, which is estimated to have much higher transmissibility and immune evasion than previous variants.

Bourla said that Pfizer has modified its vaccines in response to the Beta and Delta variants. In addition, Pfizer is currently working on a response to the Omicron variant.

Regarding criticism that Pfizer profited excessively during the pandemic, he emphasized, "The important thing is that the vaccine has saved millions of lives" and "it has saved trillions of dollars in the global economy."

Pfizer plans to supply 3 billion doses of the vaccine by the end of this year and 4 billion doses next year. Bourla said, "Next year, each country will have as many vaccines as they need."

Meanwhile, our quarantine authorities also expressed uncertainty about how many more vaccinations will be needed and announced that they will use the term '3rd dose' instead of 'additional vaccination (booster shot)' going forward.

Jung Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, explained at the regular briefing in the afternoon, "There is still uncertainty about how many times one must receive the COVID-19 vaccine to complete the basic vaccination," adding, "Expressing it by the number of doses is easier for the public to remember, and considering the management of subsequent additional vaccinations, we will use the term '3rd dose'."