ORLANDO, Fla. — Laura Barbosa and other members of her family have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 much longer than the general public, and she has this message for anyone who’s been waiting to see how people do with it.
“You’re taking more risks getting COVID than getting the vaccine,” said Barbosa, who participated in the Pfizer vaccine trial.
READ: Pfizer to ask permission to give booster shot; FDA, CDC say it’s not necessary
She received her first Pfizer dose nearly 11 months ago, her second last October and now she’s getting a third dose as part of the Pfizer trial next week.
Barbosa said she was scheduled for the booster shot at the end of June, but that the trial keeps pushing it back.
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“Now we’re going to have it Wednesday, they say, but there’s a lot happening in the news. So I think that’s part of it,” she said.
Pfizer announced this week that is going to seek emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for a booster shot.
The company said a third dose within a year of being fully vaccinated could dramatically boost immunity and possibly fight the Delta variant, which is now the dominant form of the virus throughout the U.S.
But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA quickly released a joint statement saying, “Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time.”
They followed that by saying they’re engaged in a science-based, rigorous process to consider whether, or when, a booster might be necessary.
Channel 9 plans to check back in with Barbosa next week after she gets her third dose to see what kind of side effects she experiences.
