Why annual COVID-19 boosters may become the norm

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Even as tens of millions of inoculated Americans breathe a collective sigh of relief after receiving either the one or two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, some wonder whether one round of shots is enough, or if they’ll need another—and another.

Scientists don’t yet know how long protection from the current cohort of coronavirus vaccines will last. Since the discovery of the original strain in late 2019, the virus has continued to mutate, yielding variants—similar-but-distinctive versions of the virus with the potential to be more infectious, deadly, and escape the antibody safeguards provided by the existing COVID-19 vaccines. To stay ahead of virus evolution, some vaccine creators are racing to design new shots to beat back variants while working to determine how long immunity lasts from current doses.

And the new “normal,” some experts say, could mean routine inoculation, or boosters, against COVID-19.

What’s a booster, anyway?

A booster shot is “a repeat dose of a vaccine that you’ve already received to literally boost your immunity,” says Susan R. Bailey, an allergist and clinical immunologist and president of the American Medical Association. The immune system creates virus-fighting memory from repeat exposure. It’s common that a second or third encounter with an antigen, a molecule that prompts antibody production, creates a “greater and more long lasting” immune response, Bailey says.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/why-annual-covid-19-boosters-may-become-the-norm

[TreasonousBastard]

1. So? Unless you're an antivax idiot, I don't see boosters as any more than a very...

minor inconvenience. If even that.

I get a flu shot every year, and tetanus boosters every so often, generally when I'm in a doctor's office for something else.

[Terry_M]

2. The human factor

1. not all countries are successfully getting the vaccines as widely administered as we are as quickly. it might seem like if we figured out how to get up to 4 million doses a day, we'll know how to do 10 million a day by the time the booster needs to go out... HERE. Not necessarily the same in other countries and to control this thing it's gotta be everyone.

2. people are inevitably going to start getting complacent... you know this... we might get to 90% administration by July if we keep up the messaging, etc. Will we see 90% coverage in a year? in 2 years? in 3? No... Conspiracies will be started and will spread (they'll start blaming vaccines for the continued rise of obesity or something, I dunno) and people will get lazy.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. OTOH, eventually we may get back to the point of vaccines being pretty much matter-of-fact.