Will the coronavirus vaccine need to be taken annually like the flu shot?
As a vaccine for the deadly pandemic is underway, that’s become one of the most pressing questions.
TODAY spoke with NBC News senior medical correspondent Dr. John Torres to find out how long the vaccine will protect against COVID-19.
“When you get the shot right now, it’s actually going to be two shots,” Torres said.
The first one will happen on “day zero,” he said, adding that the booster shot will come 21 days (or three weeks) later.
After that, Dr. Torres said researchers will have to determine “how long the shot will last.”
“We think it’s going to last a few years, it’s not going to be like the flu shot, at least initially,” he added.
According to Torres, to determine the efficacy, researchers will be required to observe and follow people who were given the shot. He added that they’ll also have to “follow the virus to make sure it hasn’t changed.”
Torres said the virus has not mutated much since the beginning, which has led researchers to believe the vaccine can last a few years or “hopefully even longer.”
According to the CDC, the first-wave will give vaccine priority to healthy care workers and essential workers.
They will also prioritize people that are considered “high-risk” and those 65 years and older.
Torress noted that the rollout plan varies by state.
He also anticipates that doctor offices and hospitals will let patients know when they are eligible to get the vaccine.
On Friday, the FDA granted emergency use authorization to Pfizer to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.
As trucks carrying the vaccine left a Michigan manufacturing plant on Sunday, shots may be administered as early as this week.
News12 reports that it will take until at least May 2021 for everyone to get access to the vaccine, and even then, the vaccine takes about six weeks to be fully processed by the body.
Because of the processing time, doctors are suggesting that our current "normal" of social distancing, mask wearing, and hand washing, will remain in place for months to come.
Additionally, the Pfizer vaccine has been proven 95% effective, which means there's a 5% chance you could still contract the coronavirus. "Not only can you still be a carrier, you can actually still get sick, too," Dr. Purvi Parikh of NYU Langone Health said.
While some people are hesitant about taking the vaccine, he assured that “the virus is far worse in my opinion than the actual vaccine or any potential pitfalls.”
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