Dr. Ozlem Tureci, chief medical officer of, BioNTech (BNTX.US), said on Wednesday that people may need a third shot of COVID-19 vaccine developed jointly by PFE.US and BioNTech because of impaired immunity to the virus, Zhitong Financial APP learned.

Dr Tureci also predicts that people will need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus every year, just like seasonal flu. She says this is because scientists expect vaccine-induced immunity to the virus to decrease over time.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has expressed a similar view before. Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna (MRNA.US), said last week that the company hopes to provide booster shots for its two-dose vaccine in the autumn.