(WTAJ) — A new study conducted on the effectiveness of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine shows that protection against the virus drops to approximately 84% about four to six months after the second dose is injected.
In the company-funded survey, it was found that the vaccine's effectiveness was strongest -- at 96.2% --between one week and two months after receiving the second dose. The study also showed that effectiveness declined an average of 6% every two months. Tested in more than 44,000 volunteers, it was determined that at the four-month mark, the effectiveness drops to 83.7% in most fully vaccinated individuals.
This study has yet to be peer-reviewed.
Funding for the study comes as Pfizer has been pushing for a third COVID vaccine dose to boost immunity protection, which U.S. health officials have vetoed. As it currently stands, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) do not recommend booster shots for fully vaccinated individuals.
"Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time. FDA, CDC, and NIH are engaged in a science-based, rigorous process to consider whether or when a booster might be necessary," the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated in a press release.
According to the data, if the effectiveness of the vaccine continues to drop at the 6% rate, protection against the virus would be 50% at approximately 18 months after full vaccination.
The study also showed that though declining, the vaccine was 97% effective against severe disease for at least six months.
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