Pfizer is testing a COVID-19 booster and pneumococcal vaccine combo

Pfizer has administered its first round of shots in a new study analyzing the "coadministration" of its pneumococcal vaccine candidate and a third "booster dose" of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the company announced on Monday.

The study, which focuses on fully-vaccinated adults over age 65, is intended to nail down the safety of the combined vaccines, and will evaluate immune responses produced by the vaccines when administered together, said Pfizer. The pneumococcal candidate itself is aimed at protecting adults "against 20 serotypes responsible for the majority of invasive pneumococcal disease and pneumonia," writes Reuters.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had previously advised COVID-19 vaccinations be administered alone, Reuters reports. Now, after "experience with non-COVID vaccines," co- or same day administration has been deemed safe.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Read more at Reuters.