Local 12: COVID-19 booster shots: The controversy behind a third shot for all
UC infectious disease expert says more information is needed
Health advisors to President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that COVID-19 booster shots will soon be offered to many Americans. Starting Sept. 20, pending approval from the FDA, third vaccine shots will be available for those who got either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at least eight months ago. The decision is creating some controversy.
WKRC-TV, Local 12, interviewed Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UC College of Medicine about this and he told them that more information is needed.
“I think they’re choosing to say everybody should get an extra shot to increase our immunity, and maybe that will help,” said Fichtenbaum. “But I think that the data is limited as to whether that’s going to make a big difference or not.”
Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UC College of Medicine/Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand
The recommendation for the third shot came from data reviewed by the CDC. Three separate studies showed reduced protection from infection over time.
“The complicated part to this story is that, even though the antibody levels are going down, even though people are getting infected, are the boosters really going to make a difference in preventing illness in people who have already been vaccinated?” added Fichtenbaum, who was one of the principal investigators for the Moderna trial at the University of Cincinnati.
“We also don’t know if we give this extra shot, will it prevent further transmission of infection from people who are vaccinated to others?” he said.
Then, there’s the ethical question: Will giving a third shot of the COVID-19 vaccine to healthy Americans help end a pandemic where variants are coming from places where people have very little access to vaccines?
“The longer that this pandemic continues in other places, the more likely that new variants will arise beyond the Delta variant and potentially cause more problems for us as this virus continues to circle around the globe,” he added.
Next Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is classified as a Research 1 institution by the Carnegie Commission and is ranked in the National Science Foundation's Top-35 public research universities. UC's medical, graduate and undergraduate students and faculty investigate problems and innovate solutions with real-world impact. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.