A vaccine specifically targeting the omicron coronavirus variant is not needed so long as individuals are entirely caught up on their vaccines, including their booster shot, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday, citing recent data on vaccine longevity.

Our booster regimens work against omicron, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said at a White House press briefing that featured supporting data from the agency, as well as from vaccine maker Pfizer-BioNTech, Rockefeller University in New York, and South African clinical studies. At this point, there is no need for a variant-specific booster.

The data presented, some of which was preliminary, showed that individuals continue to have substantial omicron-fighting antibodies weeks after receiving a booster shot, with one study showing a 38-fold increase in neutralizing activity. But this wasnt the case for those who had received only two doses of an mRNA vaccine, such as the ones produced by Pfizer and Moderna.