Are You Going To Need Another COVID Shot? Fauci Says 3 Jabs Are Likely

Americans are likely going to need three shots of the COVID vaccine to fully protect themselves against the virus, according to the nation’s leading infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Fauci made the announcement at a coronavirus briefing on Thursday, saying that a third dose of the vaccine “will actually be durable, and if it is durable, then you're going to have very likely a three-dose regimen being the routine regimen.”

Fauci cited two Israeli studies for his reasoning, saying that they both showed a decrease in COVID-19 infections among those people that received the third dose of the vaccine or what has been dubbed a booster shot.

The data from the studies also showed that COVID vaccine immunity waned after about eight months, which Fauci, who is the top medical adviser to President Joe Biden, said, “supported the rationale for COVID-19 booster shots.”

The news of Americans needing a third COVID jab comes just ahead of the rollout of booster shots that are slated to begin as early as the week of Sept. 20, pending Food and Drug Administration authorization, according to Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, CNN reported.

Both Pfizer and Moderna have applied for FDA authorization for a booster dose of their vaccine that would be administered six or eight months after the second dose of their vaccines.

An additional booster shot from Johnson & Johnson has not been announced. Johnson & Johnson’s COVID vaccine is a single-dose shot.

The booster dose is being recommended for the entire eligible population and has already been authorized for immunocompromised individuals. The Biden administration has said that vulnerable Americans, such as seniors living in long-term care facilities, would receive the booster doses first, Yahoo News reported.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 174.9 million Americans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, accounting for 52.7% of the U.S. population. But there are millions of Americans who have yet to receive their COVID vaccination as the U.S. looks to roll out a third dose, creating significant challenges for health officials.

Compounding the issue is the lack of a vaccine for children under the age of 12, which Fauci and Murthy have both said won’t arrive until at least the end of the year.