Fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be needed, Pfizer's CEO says

To help fend off another wave of COVID-19, people will need a fourth dose of vaccine, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said.

"Many variants are coming, and Omicron was the first one that was able to evade - in a skillful way - the immune protection that we're giving," Mr Bourla told CBS' Face the Nation.

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"The protection we are getting from the third (dose) it is good enough - actually quite good for hospitalisations and deaths."

But protection after three doses is "not that good against infections" and "doesn't last very long" when faced with a variant like Omicron.

"It is necessary, a fourth (dose) for right now," Mr Bourla told CBS.

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A shot at a longer-lasting vaccine against all variants

Pfizer and Moderna have said they are working on a vaccine that would specifically protect against the Omicron variant. It's not clear yet if one is needed.

Mr Bourla said Pfizer is also hoping to make a vaccine that will protect against Omicron and all other variants of SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes COVID-19.

The goal is to create "something that can protect for at least a year," Mr Bourla told CBS.

"And if we are able to achieve that, then I think it is very easy to follow and remember so that we can go back to really the way (we) used to live."

CNN's Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.