Will the COVID pandemic be over in a year? Following in the footsteps of Moderna’s CEO, Pfizer is now saying the same thing
Washington: The world will return to normalcy when COVID-19 expires in a year, according to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, who also emphasized the importance of annual COVID vaccinations.
“Within a year, I believe we will be able to return to normal life,” Bourla was quoted as saying on ABC’s “This Week.”
“I don’t think this means that the variants will stop coming, and I don’t think it means that we should be able to live our lives without vaccinations,” Bourla added.
“However, that remains to be seen.
Bourla’s statement is consistent with Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel’s statement last week that the pandemic will be over in a year.
Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has stated that the current wave of COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta coronavirus variant will be the end of COVID, but it may linger as an endemic.
As a result, according to CNBC, Bourla believes that annual coronavirus vaccine shots will be required.
“The most likely scenario for me is that, because the virus is spread all over the world, new variants will continue to emerge,” Bourla said.
“We will also have vaccines that will last at least a year, and I believe the most likely scenario is annual vaccination, but we don’t really know, we need to wait and see the data,” he added.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, authorized the distribution of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 booster shots for those in high-risk occupational and institutional settings last week, overruling an advisory panel.
According to the report, Walensky approved giving the booster shots to older Americans and adults with underlying medical conditions at least six months after their first series of shots, in accordance with the advisory panel.
Meanwhile, a number of scientists and the World Health Organization are strongly opposed to a widespread rollout of booster shots, arguing that wealthier countries should provide additional doses to countries with low vaccination rates.
