According to BioNTech's CEO, future COVID-19 variants may be able to evade vaccines and boosters.
Ugur Sahin stated that we may need to get new COVID-19 vaccinations by mid-2022.
BioNTech and Pfizer developed the only US-approved COVID-19 vaccine.
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Ugur Sahin, CEO of BioNTech, said that the world might need new COVID-19 vaccinations in order to protect against coronavirus mutations.
Sahin stated that the current COVID-19 vaccines (including the BioNTech one that Pfizer developed with Pfizer) worked against the circulating variants of COVID-19, including the Delta variant which is highly contagious, and that booster shots might provide additional protection.
Sahin said that future strains of the virus may not be able to evade the immune response produced by vaccines.
He suggested that "tailored" COVID-19 vaccinations might be necessary.
"This year, a different vaccine is not necessary. Sahin stated that it is possible for the situation to change by the middle of next year.
Sahin stated that "this virus will remain, and the virus further adapts," adding that there is no reason to believe the next generation of virus will be more difficult to manage for the immune system than the current generation. This is continuous evolution and it has just begun.
Sahin stated that two distinct focuses will be held next year for vaccine programs in the world: one for people who have been vaccinated and need to receive booster shots and another for people who are not vaccinated or have less access to shots.
Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, stated in September that life will return to normal within the next one year, despite new COVID-19 variants.
