Fauci: COVID-19 Booster Shots Will Likely Be Necessary But Timing is Unclear

NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci listens during a Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittee hearing looking into the budget estimates for National Institute of Health and state of medical research on Capitol Hill in Washington, on May 26, 2021. Sarah Silbiger/Pool/Getty Images

Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday that Americans vaccinated against COVID-19 will most likely need a booster shot at some point in the future to guarantee continued protection but that the timing remains unclear.

“I don’t anticipate that the durability of the vaccine protection is going to be infinite—it’s just not. So, I imagine we will need, at some time, a booster. What we’re figuring out right now is what that interval is going to be,” Fauci said during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing while testifying about the state of medical research and the National Institutes of Health’s budget for fiscal 2022.