Pfizer and its partner are launching a new trial that will evaluate the effects of a third dose of their COVID-19 vaccine, in a bid to protect against the virus variants circulating around the world. Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine is currently given in two doses spaced several weeks apart. The phase 1/2/3 trial will study how patients react to a third dose and whether the additional dose better protects people against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19. People already participating in a phase 1 trial for the vaccine will be offered the chance to get a third dose six to 12 months after receiving their initial two-dose regimen. “While we have not seen any evidence that the circulating variants result in a loss of protection provided by our vaccine, we are taking multiple steps to act decisively and be ready in case a strain becomes resistant to the …