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COVID-19 vaccine companies debate booster

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Moderna and Pfizer have published data saying a booster shot may be beneficial. One UF Doctor says getting vaccinated is the start of fighting Covid.

“the recommendation... if you have had covid in the past, the recommendation is to get vaccinated.”

Pfizer has published data showing 83% of covid cases in the US are delta variant cases- as infection rates here in Jacksonville continue to rise, many are wondering- are they protected?

“The worry is folks are still getting infected, even if they’ve been vaccinated, they’re still getting infected with the delta covid virus,” UF Emergency Physician David Caro says.

Moderna published new data Thursday morning showing after 6 months their vaccine still had a 93% efficacy rate. They also showed a studied booster shot increased the ability for patients to fight against the different variants covid-19 .Caro says, that’s a positive.

“From this side of the fence, we are in the hospitals looking at who is the sickest of the sick. Thankfully, those that are still vaccinated are faring better.”

Pfizer says they have already produced one round of booster vaccines that are waiting on approval from regulatory agencies- that shot is supposed to improve neutralization antibodies. They are also starting clinical studies on a vaccine for the delta variant this month.

But that doesn’t mean booster shots will be readily available any time soon- companies are just now starting clinical studies that, even if they are fast tracked, could take months.