U.S. officials say vaccinated don't need booster right now

US health officials, following meeting with Pfizer, reiterated that Americans who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not need to get a booster shot at this time, as reported in the National Post.

Last week, Pfizer and partner BioNTech indicated plans to ask US and other regulators to authorize a booster dose of their COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2, based on evidence of greater risk of infection six months after inoculation and the spread of the fast-spreading Delta variant.

Officials at the Health and Human Services (HHS) department had a briefing from Pfizer this past Monday regarding their latest, preliminary data on vaccinations and will continue to discuss when and if booster shots will be needed in the future, a HHS spokesperson said.

Pfizer said it planned to publish "more definitive data" in a peer-reviewed journal.

Meanwhile, Pfizer spokesperson Sharon Castillo said "both Pfizer and the US government share a sense of urgency in staying ahead of the virus that causes COVID-19, and we also agree that the scientific data will dictate next steps in the rigorous regulatory process that we always follow."