COVID-19 booster shot: Science still evolving, says WHO scientist

“We do not have the information that’s necessary to make the recommendation on whether or not a booster will be needed,” said Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, World Health Organization (WHO). The top science officer at the global health organisation said “science is still evolving” on the need for COVID-19 boosters.

Swaminathan added that the WHO’s policy will be determined by real-world data from the booster vaccination programmes that will be conducted by various countries around the world.

One of the main causes for concern in the ongoing fight against the global pandemic is the emergence of more transmissible variants and further mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Vaccine makers have already started working on tweaking their vaccine formulations to take on the emerging variants, but many have said such developments will always be lagging behind real-time viral mutations.

Others have cautioned that third shots would most likely be needed to shore up the immune response, especially for people who are more susceptible to the virus.

Also, not every vaccine will be particularly effective for a third dose, depending on its biological mechanisms. While trials on mixing and matching vaccines are currently on, conclusive answers have not yet arrived.