Many vaccines, like that for tetanus, require booster shots to remain effective throughout a person’s lifetime. With the rise of the Delta variant, many experts believe that Covid-19 vaccine booster shots could offer improved protection from current and future mutations. Now, new data released by Pfizer indicates that a third dose of the vaccine could “strongly” improve protection against the Delta variant.
The research shows that a third dose of the vaccine would prompt more than five times higher antibody levels in individuals ages 18 to 55 compared to those with only two doses. In individuals ages 65 to 85, the antibody levels are more than 11-fold greater.
Although this data must be peer-reviewed and published before third dose options can officially be explored, it provides an optimistic outlook that vaccines can continue to advance to meet the threat of future Covid-19 variants.