A booster
dose of the coronavirus vaccine which has been developed in collaboration by
Pfizer inc and Germany’s BioNTech SE has shown promising signs against the virus
as well as its delta variant. The data received on Thursday courtesy of a large
study revealed that administering the booster dose restored efficacy to 95.6%
against the virus.

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The study’s
results are based upon the tests of 10,000 participants aged 16 or above who
received the booster.

Although
the trial has not been peer reviewed yet, the booster shot had a favourable
safety profile.

Booster
doses of coronavirus vaccines Moderna and Inc and Johnson & Johnson recently
received authorization for administering booster doses by the United States
Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

It was also
announced that the people can choose to go for a different vaccination from the
one they received for their first dose after a study revealed that it is safe to
mix and match vaccines.

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In some cases,
going for a different booster resulted in better protection against the
disease.

Previously only
those people aged 65 years and older or those at risk of severe diseases and
those exposed to the virus due to their profession could receive booster shots
of Pfizer/BioNtech. In order to get these shots, a person had to wait at least
six months after receiving their vaccination.

A study had
revealed that Pfizer’s efficacy dropped to 84% from a peak of 96% four months
after receiving the second dose.

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As revealed by the makers of the vaccine, the median
time in the study between a person getting a second dose and a booster shot or
the placebo was approximately eleven months.

The results were very promising as
only five cases were reported from the group of people who received booster
whereas 109 cases were registered from the group that received the placebo