COVID-19 vaccine guide, part 1

By Bridget Killian (and 14 East staff)

14 East Magazine, 2021

Will I have to get it every year? Will it work with the variants?

Currently there is still not enough data to know for sure how long the vaccine guarantees immunity. Follow-up appointments and studies will be conducted to further study the lasting effects of the vaccine, including how the immune system reacts. These studies will show how antibodies hold up post-vaccine as well as how long-term exposure affects people who have been vaccinated.

Stephen Jameson, a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, said in an NPR interview that the immune system can hold the memory of certain viruses for a long time. However, there isn’t enough knowledge yet about how the immune system reacts to COVID-19 or the vaccine. Those studying the immune response are doing so in real time while people are getting vaccinated. With that in mind, the public will have to wait until scientists know more about whether or not the COVID-19 vaccine will be annual like the flu shot or a one-time thing...continue reading