The third dose of coronavirus vaccine may be necessary to prevent serious cases of new variants of the disease, Bill Gates he said Tuesday. The comments of the billionaire philanthropist come in the middle growing concern that current vaccines are less effective against the South African and Brazilian variants.
“Is the discussion now that 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 anchor editor and manager Norah O’Donnell of CBS Evening News.
“All five vaccine companies in the US are looking to make that change and adding that so people who have already had two photos may need to take a third shot,” he said. “I think it’s quite likely that we have an optimized vaccine just to make sure that as these variants hit the US, they don’t get rid of vaccine protection.”
Gates funds studies in South Africa to determine whether AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax vaccines have been just as effective against the more contagious variant.
“AstraZeneca has a challenge especially with the variant. And the other two, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax, are a little less efficient, but they’re effective enough to get us out of it as quickly as we study this adjustment idea. the vaccine, “Gates said.
If the coronavirus is not eradicated, he said, additional photos may be needed in the future. “Probably not annually, but as long as it’s there, we want as many Americans as possible not to spread to each other,” he said.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former head of the Food and Drug Administration, said CBS News “Face the Nation” on February 7 believes that vaccines currently distributed in the US would provide “reasonable protection” against new variants, even if they are less effective against new strains. However, he said, it may also be necessary to administer booster shots in the fall.
© 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved.