Pfizer Isn't Forcing Pill With Vaccine Booster
The Claim
Pfizer, the creator of the first FDA-approved vaccine for COVID-19, plans on mandating a pill to be used with the booster.
News posted on
Emerging story
On September 1, Pfizer’s CEO announced that the company’s clinical trials have advanced on a pill used to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 complications.
This was quickly written about on anti-vax websites. Some claimed that the pill will be taken alongside a vaccine. The claim spread on social media.
Misbar’s Analysis
As we've written about here at Misbar, the Pfizer pill did progress through the next clinical test stage – but nowhere does it say it has to be taken alongside a vaccine. The CEO said that both a pill and a vaccine are required to “have success” against the virus, but not that they must be used in tandem, only that two methods are necessary for society to get through the pandemic.
The pill is to be taken immediately after signs of infection appear, not unlike Tamiflu. It makes it so that symptoms don’t increase in severity.
Since the pill is to be taken for treatment, not prevention, it is misleading to say it will be taken alongside the vaccine.
