Do we really need coronavirus vaccine booster shots?

Top scientists says there is growing evidence that a first round of global vaccinations may offer enduring protection against the virus and its variants

But some health experts say vaccine makers are right to plan ahead for boosters given the uncertainty over what will be needed in the long run

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A woman receives a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in Mexico City. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:33pm, 13 May 2021Updated: 7:36pm, 13 May 2021

Covid-19 vaccine developers are making ever bolder assertions that the world will need yearly booster shots, or new vaccines to tackle concerning coronavirus variants, but some scientists question when, or whether, such shots will be needed.

In interviews with Reuters, more than a dozen influential infectious disease and vaccine development experts said there is growing evidence that a first round of global vaccinations may offer enduring protection against the coronavirus and its most worrisome variants discovered to date.

Some of these scientists expressed concern that public expectations around Covid-19 boosters are being set by pharmaceutical executives rather than health specialists, although many agreed that preparing for such a need as a precaution was prudent.

They fear a push by wealthy nations for repeat immunisation as early as this year will deepen the divide with poorer countries that are struggling to buy vaccines and may take years to inoculate their citizens even once.

“We don’t see the data yet that would inform a decision about whether or not booster doses are needed,” said Kate O’Brien, director of the Department of Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals at the World Health Organization (WHO).

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