The Daily

Do We Need a Third Covid Shot?

Jul 19, 2021

Rebecca Robbins, a business reporter for The New York Times specializing in Covid-19 vaccines, dives into the contentious debate over the necessity of a booster shot amid the Delta variant surge. She discusses the effectiveness of existing vaccines and the ethical implications of administering extra doses in wealthy nations while many remain unvaccinated elsewhere. The conversation also touches on the financial motivations of pharmaceutical companies and the urgent need for global vaccine equity.

22:14

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Episode guests

Rebecca Robbins

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Navigating the Delta Variant and Vaccine Efficacy

2min

Navigating the Booster Shot Debate

10min

The Ethics of Vaccine Distribution: A Debate on Boosters and Equity

3min

Vaccine Equity: Booster Shots vs. Global Needs

5min

COVID-19 Resurgence in Southeast Asia and Historic Flooding in Europe

3min

The rise of the Delta variant has prompted a thorny question: Do we need a booster dose of the vaccine for Covid-19? Vaccine makers think so, but regulators are yet to be convinced.

Principles are also at stake: Should richer countries be talking about administering extra doses when so many people around the world are yet to receive even a single shot?

Guest: Rebecca Robbins, a business reporter covering Covid-19 vaccines for The New York Times.

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Background reading:

Although studies of a third dose are underway, experts agree that the vaccines are still working well. Here’s what to know about the potential booster dose.
U.S. officials said that the decision to go ahead with a booster shot would depend partly on how many infections cause serious disease or hospitalization in vaccinated people.

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