FORT MYERS, Fla. — If you think you’re done with COVID-19 once you get the full vaccine, think again.
Experts have said that those two shots probably won’t be enough for the long haul. The coronavirus keeps evolving, which means booster shots each year might be what our future looks like, even after the pandemic.
FGCU Physician Assistant Studies Director Robert Hawkes said researchers don’t know for sure just how long immunity lasts with the current vaccines available.
“It’s estimated it’s probably going to give us, you know, maybe a year or two of immunity, and then the body’s immune system just kind of loses the effectiveness,” Hawkes said. “That’s when we talk about a booster.”
The COVID-19 vaccines available are not like the measles vaccine which typically gives you protection for a lifetime. It’s more like a flu vaccine, because of how much the virus mutates.
“COVID will change, so the booster will be able to protect against the variants and also keep our immune system really current,” Hawkes said.
Vaccine rollout would also likely go a lot smoother than what we’re seeing right now.
“A lot of these vaccines just really got approved a couple months ago,” Hawkes said. “All of a sudden, they’re trying to ramp up major production.”
Hawkes said a yearly COVID-19 vaccine really wouldn’t be much different than the yearly flu vaccine we get, which usually gets developed a year in advance.
Some said that they’d be on board with getting booster shots for the coronavirus in the future if it was for the greater good, but they know not everyone would agree.
“Some people, you’re just not gonna convince,” said Richard Olson. “I’m a proponent of: listen to what your doctor says and follow those instructions and you gotta have faith in that.”
Hawkes also said that even after you get one or both doses of the current COVID vaccine, you still need to follow precautions like social distancing and mask-wearing when appropriate.
The Link LonkFebruary 13, 2021 at 05:56AM
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Health officials expect people to need yearly COVID-19 booster shot - NBC2 News
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