False: The third dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is lethal.

By: Nikita Kochhar
January 13 2022

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Some social media users have been falsely claiming that the third dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will kill those who haven't already died from the first two jabs. The claim that COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous is part of an anti-vax narrative that has been debunked multiple times. Health organizations across the world have stated that COVID vaccines are safe. On April 1, 2021, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people would "likely" need a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine within 12 months of getting vaccinated. "A likely scenario is that there will be likely a need for a third dose, somewhere between six and twelve months, and then from there, there will be an annual revaccination, but all of that needs to be confirmed," he told CNBC. A press note released by BioNTech on July 8 further claimed that Pfizer and BioNTech have "seen encouraging data in the ongoing booster trial of a third dose of the current BNT162b2 vaccine." The vaccine-maker asserted that the effect of its two-dose vaccine subsides over time, but that it offers lasting and robust protection against severe disease. Booster shots are a subject of debate among scientists. A joint statement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that people who are fully vaccinated "do not need a booster shot" at the moment. "If science demonstrates the need for booster doses, both CDC and FDA are ready for the same," it added. On June 28, researchers from the University of Oxford reported that currently, there is no indication that a booster shot is needed. In the report published in the BMJ, a peer-reviewed medical trade journal, the researchers stressed that the "urgent priority" is to ensure that people get their first dose. In short, though the FDA, CDC, and various researchers have not recommended a third Pfizer jab, it is highly incorrect to say that the vaccine's booster shot is lethal. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.