US Physicians Strongly Support COVID-19 Boosters, But Stop Short of Widespread Booster Recommendations, Says New InCrowd Data

As key FDA committee meets this week, 86% of doctors agree on Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster shot importance for key groups, but estimate 18% of wishful patients will be ineligible 

WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meets this week to discuss COVID-19 boosters for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines, new data show 86% of US physicians agree on the importance of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster for patients aged 65 and older, and those with preexisting conditions. Seventy eight percent agreed that Pfizer-BioNTech boosters should be administered to those adults with increased exposure due to occupational or institutional settings. Furthermore, physicians estimate that 54% of their patients have already obtained a Pfizer booster (17%) or intend to do so (37%).

However, these doctors estimate that Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine boosters would miss 18% of their Pfizer-BioNTech-vaccinated patient base—patients who would like to obtain a booster but are ineligible because they do not meet the FDA’s parameters for eligibility, such as patients who are healthy young adults with no preexisting conditions and who do not work in high-risk professions. It would also miss an estimated 28% who are resistant regardless of booster eligibility.

Data were sourced by InCrowd, real-time market insights company and a brand of Apollo Intelligence (Apollo), global insights innovator for the life sciences, on Sunday, October 10, 2021 from both primary care physicians (PCPs) and infectious disease specialists.

Despite overwhelming recommendations for COVID boosters, only 29% of US physicians supported recommending COVID-19 boosters for ages 12 and up regardless of medical condition or employment setting, and only 14% supported recommending these boosters to all patients aged 18 and older. Conversely, only 1% of respondents said that a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster was unnecessary.

As for vaccine mandates in general, 80% strongly support mandatory vaccine initiatives for healthcare workers, as have been enacted or proposed in many states. Sixty percent of respondents agreed on mandating vaccination for adults to maintain their employment in other settings except in rare, extenuating circumstances, and 59% agreed on mandated vaccination for school attendance at age 12 and up except in rare, extenuating circumstances.

“As the FDA committee meets to review Moderna and J&J COVID-19 vaccine booster data, InCrowd’s data on US healthcare professional sentiment show widespread US HCP support for administering a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to high-risk populations, and widespread support for mandatory vaccination for specific populations,” said Daniel S. Fitzgerald, CEO of Apollo Intelligence, parent company to InCrowd. “At the same time, the data also shows the gap remaining between those who intend or have already received a Pfizer-BioNTech booster, and those who are ineligible or resistant.”

The InCrowd COVID-19 vaccine booster shot survey reflects data from n=101 US physicians responding on Sunday, October 10, 2021 morning ET in a 90-minute window. These included n=51 PCPs and n=50 infectious disease specialists who were at least somewhat familiar with the debate over the third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. For more visit InCrowd.

About Apollo Intelligence, LLC
Apollo Intelligence’s mission is to accelerate health innovation to improve life. In 2019, Apollo launched with the acquisition of InCrowd, the pioneer of real-time automated insights for the life sciences industry. To complement InCrowd and strengthen its global reach, in 2020 Apollo acquired SurveyHealthcareGlobus, the global market leader of first-party healthcare data collection and custom survey solutions. Apollo provides access to 2M healthcare stakeholders worldwide—including physicians, patients, caregivers, and allied healthcare professionals. Apollo’s 200 employees support top global pharmaceutical brands, market research agencies, and consultancies across 14 different countries in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. For more information about Apollo, please visit our website at www.apollointelligence.net.

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