Fauci admits a third Covid jab may be needed in the future after meeting with ...

The nation's top infectious disease expert has admitted that a third booster Covid-19 vaccine may be needed in the future after a meeting with Pfizer bosses. 

Dr Anthony Fauci was among the US federal health officials who attended a virtual meeting on Monday evening which saw Pfizer present data on why they believe a third shot of its vaccine is needed.

Pfizer has claimed immunity given by its Covid vaccine is already waning – and it wants to dish out booster jabs for people to take six months after they have their second dose.

The US drug giant claim real-world data from Israel's world-beating drive has shown 'vaccine efficacy in preventing both infection and symptomatic disease has declined six months post-vaccination'.

In an appearance on CNN's Cuomo Prime Time after the meeting, Fauci said a third booster jab may be needed 'across the board' in the future, or just for those with underlying health conditions.

But he insisted that based on the data they currently have, people don't need to get a booster jab yet, saying any changes to advice would be based off a comprehensive study, not the words of a pharmaceutical company.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said: 'The CDC [The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] said that based on the data we know right now, we don't need a booster, that doesn't mean that that won't change, and we might need, as a matter of fact, at some time to give boosters across the board or select groups, such as the elderly or those with underlying health conditions.' 

Meanwhile, Israel said on Sunday it will begin offering a third dose of Pfizer's vaccine to adults with weak immune systems but was still weighing whether to make the booster available to the general public.

But the FDA and the CDC have pushed back against Pfizer's drive for a third booster shot, insisting that fully-vaccinated Americans do not need to worry about getting a booster jab yet. 

Backing up this standpoint, Fauci continued: 'If in fact, there's a decision if and when to get boosters, then we will hear about it.

'But it will be based on a comprehensive study, not on the announcement from a pharmaceutical company.'

Fauci insisted that 'nothing has really changed' following the meeting with Pfizer, but did not rule out the possibility of the US bringing in a third booster jab in the future. 

Speaking about Israel's decision, he insisted that the country hadn't done 'anything wrong', but said that, based on the data the FDA and CDC currently has, the US are not ready to make a recommendation of a booster jab yet.

He continued: 'I don't think Israel has anything wrong, just because they're looking at data that they had in their cohort, where it looks like they've had a diminution, we need to look at the entire picture before you make the policy change for the United States.'