The Biden administration is not planning to recommend fourth doses of the coronaviruses vaccine anytime soon, despite new federal data suggesting that the effectiveness of booster shots waned after about four months.
We don't have enough data to know that it's a good thing to do, said Dr. Peter Marks, who heads the division of the Food and Drug Administration that regulates vaccines.
The vaccines are still a good protection against severe illness despite the fact that booster shots lose some of their effectiveness after a few months, according to Dr. Fauci, the chief medical adviser to the White House.
The C.D.C.'s research analyzed hospitalizations and visits to emergency rooms and urgent care clinics by people who had had booster shots of either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech. The study showed the level of protection against hospitalization fell after a third shot after four to five months. The effectiveness against emergency room and urgent care visits decreased.
The data did not examine variations by age group, underlying medical conditions or the presence of immune deficiencies. They said the findings underscored the importance of a fourth shot.
The answer is if you look, according to Dr. Fauci. It's good that seventy-eight percent is good.
Since President Biden took office, the vaccine strategy has been under constant review. Dr. Fauci said that protection from boosters will be dependent on whether they hold steady or fall steeply after four to five months.
He said that it was not only the number that was important.
It means more uncertainty for Americans because of the constant changes in vaccine recommendations. The president of the American Academy of Family Physicians said that his patients keep asking if a fourth shot is necessary.
"It's frustrating, right?" said Dr. Ransone, who practices in the small town of Deltaville, Va. This is a case where we don't know what will happen in the future. We don't know the exact recommendation.
In Bangor, Maine, the leader of the Covid response for Northern Light Health said that he stresses to his patients how well the vaccines are working even if they need boosters. The most recent data shows that the vaccines are doing a good job, even though they don't offer complete protection.
According to the C.D.C., boosters are 75 percent to 85 percent effective against hospitalization four to six months after they are given. According to the C.D.C., Israel has noted waning of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine's effectiveness in the months after a booster shot.
Only health care workers were offered the fourth shot. The C.D.C recommends that people with immune deficiencies get three shots as part of their initial series, followed by a fourth shot as a booster.
The Biden administration says that two-thirds of eligible adults have gotten a booster shot. Early January is when children over 12 become eligible.
The best time to get another shot is this fall, when the coronaviruses is expected to pick up again, according to Dr. Marks.
Some of his patients would prefer that, so they can get their immunizations in a single visit.
The F.D.A. and the University of California, San Francisco hosted a session last month in which Dr. Marks said he hoped a third shot would be enough of a shield against disease. Both he and Dr. Fauci said it was impossible to make a prediction without more data.
Dr. Fauci said earlier this month that the recommendation would likely be aimed at those most at risk.
He said at the White House briefing that he didn't think anyone would be hearing any recommendations for everyone.
Kitty Bennett was involved in research.
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