CDC, FDA contradict Pfizer on the need for third booster dose. Fully vaccinated people “do not need a booster shot at this time,” CDC, FDA say

With the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus continues to spread around the country, Pfizer and BioNTech announced Thursday that they are developing a booster shot to the new covid variant. Pfizer also said this evening that it will seek FDA approval for a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose.

Pfizer added that a third COVID-19 booster dose given about six months after the second shot improves the efficacy of the vaccine against new coronavirus variants. Pfizer said the effectiveness of the third COVID-19 booster dose is backed by initial data from their study on booster shots.

However, immediately after the two pharmaceutical giants announced their plans third booster dose, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that fully vaccinated people do not need those types of booster shots.

In a joint statement this evening, the FDA and CDC said:

“People who are fully vaccinated are protected from severe disease and death, including from the variants currently circulating in the country such as Delta. Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time.”

They also added: “We continue to review any new data as it becomes available and will keep the public informed. We are prepared for booster doses if and when the science demonstrates that they are needed,”

Below is a screenshot of the joint statement from the CDC and the FDA.