The company gave an extra dose to 306 people at that point and recorded levels of virus-fighting antibodies that were threefold higher than after the earlier shots. More important, Pfizer said, those antibodies appear strong enough to handle the highly contagious Delta variant that is surging around the country. To bolster its case, Pfizer pointed the FDA to data from Israel, which began offering boosters over the summer. AdvertisementThe U.S. already offers an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to people with severely weakened immune systems. The CDC says real-world data show protection against severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths is holding strong.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 15, 2021 20:26 UTC