Here ’ s How Long COVID-19 Vaccine Immunity Really Lasts

This study is showing that the protection [from vaccines] is very high at the beginning, but it wanes quickly,” says Marco Ajelli, associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Indiana University School of Public Health and one of the co-authors of the study. “That’s exactly in line with what we observe for influenza.” In fact, says Ajelli, the flu vaccine and its immunization schedule could serve as a useful model for determining when COVID-19 vaccines should be given to keep protection as robust as possible. “We know we get an influenza shot every year because the protection from last year’s shot doesn’t work through this year,” he says. “The situation for COVID-19 will be very similar…we need to get into a cycle or loop to get a new dose to boost protection.” Public health experts expect that COVID-19 cases will continue to ebb and flow around the world, and it’s not clear yet whether infections will peak during classic respiratory virus seasons like the flu and colds do. But it’s reasonable to assume that they might, given that SARS-CoV-2 is also a respiratory virus that targets the lungs. Getting an updated dose will serve two purposes: protecting the individuals who are vaccinated, and also protecting the communities in which they live by creating a wall of immunity that reduces the risk that the virus can spread from person to person. “Without repeated booster doses for t...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 healthscienceclimate Source Type: news