America is heading towards what could be the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the virus — and perhaps regular vaccinations against it — could be around for a long time to come.
However, how long is yet to be determined, and even some of the world’s leading health experts cannot give definitive answers as to how many vaccines people will need and for how long.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, told CNBC in an interview released Monday that he’s not sure what’s next for Covid vaccines, but he’s sure more will be needed in the future.
On Sunday, Pfizer CEO Albert Burla told CBS Face the Nation that Americans will need a fourth Covid shot to control the virus going forward.
Albert Burla (left), CEO of Pfizer, said Americans need a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci (right) said he thinks additional shots will be needed at some point, but he can’t say for sure when or how much.
“Answer: we don’t know. I mean, that’s it … it’s likely that we’re not done with it yet when it comes to vaccines,” Fauci said when asked how many more shots would be needed.
The world has just celebrated two years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.
While virtually every country has been hit by the virus, the total number of cases of 79,517,492 and 967,552 cases in the US is more than in any other country in the world.
The incidence in America has been declining rapidly since the winter Omicron surge peaked in mid-January.
Many states have completely shut down or restricted daily reporting of Covid cases, making it difficult for existing virus trackers to work.
Last week, the BNO Newsroom announced that it would be shutting down its tracker on Saturday. Johns Hopkins University also did not update the data on Monday morning, indicating a declining level of attention given to daily case data.
Mandates are being canceled across the country as well, and none of the 50 states have mask orders in effect after next week.
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom even said last month that his state would soon start treating Covid as an endemic rather than a pandemic.
While Fauci, who is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has often been more cautious in his approach to the virus over the past two years, even he has begun to look towards a post-pandemic America.
“Everyone wants to get back to normal, everyone wants to leave the virus behind us in the rearview mirror, and I think that’s what we should be aiming for,” Fauci said. +
A return to “normal” may still require Americans to get regular Covid shots to keep the virus in check — similar to the annual flu shot recommended for everyone.
Officials now recommend that the vast majority of American adults receive two doses of the sequential COVID-19 vaccine, followed by a booster dose five months later.
In immunocompromised people, a fourth dose is recommended to increase protection against the virus.
Fauci is one of those who have said in the past that a fourth dose will be needed soon, joining the CEOs of Moderna and Pfizer, two leading vaccine makers that stand to gain a lot from an expanded vaccine introduction.
Albert Burla, CEO of Pfizer, spoke on CBS this week and said Americans might need a fourth dose “right now.”
“Right now, as we have seen, a fourth booster is needed right now,” Burla said.
“The protection you get from the third is good enough, actually pretty good for hospitalizations and deaths… it’s not that good against infections, but it doesn’t last long.”
Burla also told CNBC Scream box Last week, his company notified the Food and Drug Administration of its pending application for a fourth dose.
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel has hinted at the need for a fourth dose in the future.
Last month, he told Squawk Box that after a relatively quiet spring and summer season, Americans will likely need a fourth dose before the typical flu season kicks off this fall.
“We think there is a high possibility that we are moving into endemic conditions,” Bancel said in February.
“We still have to be careful because, as we saw with Delta, which came after alpha and was more dangerous, [it] Of course, you can always get a more dangerous option.
However, the prospect of Covid boosters is also a financial boon for both firms.
The companies project cumulative vaccine sales revenue of $51 billion in 2022, a figure that will rise even higher if governments around the world start buying orders for another vaccine.
Both companies have come under fire for business practices that prioritize profits over saving lives during the pandemic, and for having a stranglehold on their strikes.