Anthony Fauci can't say whether people will need annual COVID-19 COVID-19 boosters, a question being posed by many as new variant of the coronaviruses, like Omicron, arise.
Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, said during an interview on ABC News "This Week" that it's difficult to tell.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said that a booster could increase the level of protection against the coronaviruses, which won't be measurable for a period of months.
"If it becomes necessary to get another boost, then we'll just have to deal with it," Fauci said.
He said that he hopes that the third shot of an mRNA and the second shot of a J&J will give a much greater protection than the six months or so that we're seeing right now.
As the US has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases, and as concern grows about the more contagious Omicron variant, there has been more discussion about booster shots. The Omicron variant has been found in at least 25 states since November.
Most Omicron cases in the US have mild symptoms so far, but the variant may be more resistant to basic COVID vaccine protections as most cases of Omicron in the US appear in fully vaccineed individuals.
Fauci said that a booster following a primary vaccine has reduced the severity of illness or the likelihood of death. A Pfizer-BioNTech study found that a booster shot could help restore the immune system's protection against COVID-19. The long-term protections of boosters are still being studied by the scientific community.
"We have the tools to protect ourselves, and that's the thing we keep saying over and over again," Fauci said. We can go a long way to get through this cold winter season with just vaccinations.
