Pfizer vaccine likely to need third dose and then yearly boosters:
https://www.thejournal.ie/global-covid-19-5411811-Apr2021/
Of course, while this is a problem for the UK (it's been about 25% of our vaccine supply to date), it's a much bigger problem for the EU (around 70%).
It's entirely likely that a pre-winter booster jab will be required, in particular for the more vulnerable section of the population (ie JCVI Gps 1-9). The need will be driven by
viral-escape/vaccine-resist variants and/or
immunity waning after x months. Also depends on the 'protection against disease' and the 'protection against infection/transmission' effect of the vaccine (evidence not yet mature).
There's been a maximum of 7 weeks since the second jab of the 10+ weeks apart cohort so we don't yet know what the protection longevity is. And the number who had two Pfizer doses 3 weeks apart was low: about 400k all double dosed by mid Jan (my mother among them). In July sampling will give an idea of how their protection is holding up. An additional complication is that 'waning' rate, at least post-infection, seems to be an individual thing with a wide range (from a study pre-published in October).
By the time an 'annual booster' is needed (indeed supply availability rather drives the timeline) (September perhaps in UK, before the October flu jab programme) we'll have evidence to confirm that using a vaccine of a different make (and edition) as a second or subsequent dose presents no jeopardy. And those doses will have been edited to be as effective as possible against the dominant virus variant (could be different for different countries/continents).
So this will neither be a problem for the EU nor the UK: I don't know where you deduce that from?
Report from your link: Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said that, after being fully vaccinated with a second dose . . . “A likely scenario is that there will be a need for a third dose, somewhere between six and 12 months and then from there, there will be an annual revaccination, but all of that needs to be confirmed."
This is a perfectly likely scenario - and the 'third dose' will be styled an annual booster to avoid FOMO in the section not offered a booster.
Can you link to the science/evidence which Pfizer's CEO bases his caveated deduction that a third dose is 'likely' (6-12 months)? I assume that the 30+k people in the Pfizer RCT Phase 3 trial last autumn will have been followed up so that will offer data. The two links
@classic33 shared say "effective for at least 6 months" not 'becomes ineffective after 6 months'.
He did not suggest the booster vaccines needed to be the same make (although Pfizer is selling their vaccine at superb profit, unlike AZ (?and others) so there is commercial interest to create a demand for as many million doses as possible, preferably Pfizer!). The UK VTF have pre-ordered enough vaccines for 3 plus doses for all its 67M population.
