Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has said that three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are likely to be needed for full protection, CNN reported on Friday.

Dr Fauci cited two Israeli studies that showed a decrease in infections among people who got a third or booster shot. He added that there was good reason to believe that a third dose "will actually be durable, and if it is durable, then you're going to have very likely a three-dose regimen being the routine regimen."

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will consider whether to approve a third dose later this month.