Pfizer says its vaccine booster restores full protection against COVID-19

Pfizer and BioNTech said Thursday that a late-stage trial of the drugmakers' COVID-19 vaccine booster showed it restored full protection against the disease. In a test involving 10,000 participants, the additional shot was 95.6% effective against the disease, according to the companies.

Pfizer and BioNTech said they plan to submit the data to the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies to support the license of boosters in the U.S. and other nations. Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed Pfizer's booster shots for several groups of people, including seniors over 65 years old, nursing home residents and adults at least 50 years old with "underlying medical conditions."

The companies said the trial involved people who were 16 and older, and represents the first efficacy results from any randomized, controlled COVID-19 vaccine booster test. The results demonstrate the benefits of booster shots to fight the disease, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said. in a statement.