I’ve recently got my second Moderna shot. Despite myself and many others getting their required two doses of this vaccine or the Pfizer shot, there are still possible reports we may have to get a booster shot every year. Scientists have been asking a lot of questions about booster shots, but still haven’t found the answers. However, they do estimate that the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will last at least a year.
What we do know is that the National Institutes of Health recently announced a new clinical trial of people fully vaccinated of any authorized vaccine to see whether a booster will increase their antibodies and prolong their protection. Let’s learn more about these booster shots, the chances of us needing them, and when we may need them exactly.
How Effective COVID-19 Vaccines are in Protecting Us
The vaccines developed against the SARS-COV-2 virus appear to be creating high levels of antibodies that do give protection. Scientists have even found plenty of clues that vaccines such as Moderna and Pfizer offer lasting protection, possibly preventing the need for booster shots. Just on Tuesday, Moderna announced that its vaccine is effective against all variants of COVID-19, including the Delta variant.
However, there is still some research that needs to be done as to whether a yearly booster shot is needed. Until then, all we could do is just rely on the protection we currently have against this disease.
New Study Offers Promising News about Moderna and Pfizer
In addition to this information, a new study was published Monday suggesting something else positive about the Moderna and Pfizer shots. As long as variants don’t drastically evolve, the two vaccines could protect us from COVID-19 for years. Because of this, likely we may not need any booster shots. The study didn’t consider the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in its research, but it’s expected to be less durable.
Don’t Rule Out Booster Shots
Despite all of this information, don’t completely rule out booster shots just yet. Some experts are saying that we might need a yearly one or one every few years. To date, 62.8% of the adult U.S. population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 40% are fully vaccinated. No matter what happens, let’s continue to do what we can to protect ourselves against this disease.
What do you think? Do you think we will need an annual booster shot? If so, would you get one? Express your opinions in the comments below. As usual, feel free to like or share this post with someone you know.
