Booster vaccines, ie a third dose, have been repeatedly rumored to be an important element in boosting immunity. But will they have to be done every year? Will Covid vaccines be given annually, just like the flu case?
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, and Dr. Dean A. Blumberg, head of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of California, Davis, shared their thoughts with Healthline.
How do booster injections boost immunity?
"Once we strengthen the immunity, then we have T cells which are created and have memory. If we expose them again to the antigen, then this will result in their multiplication and the formation of more antibodies and more cells. And this is what results in additional protection, "said Dr. Blumberg.
"For people older and older, immunity decreases starting at 6 months, so there is an increasing rate of hospitalization with new infections," he explained. "However, we know that immune memory remains strong and that is why giving an extra dose results in a very strong immune response."
Will amplifiers become something annual?
Schaffner and Blumberg say it is too early to say how often amplifiers may be required. Blumberg says the idea of ??giving Covid-19 booster vaccines at the same frequency as the flu vaccine, on an annual basis, is a possibility.
"I would hope we do not need an amplifier every 6 months. We’ll see, maybe it will be every year or maybe it won’t have to be that often. I fully hope that Covid-19 will be with us forever and we will not eliminate it unless there is fantastic progress in vaccine development. "But I think it will be very similar to the flu," he said. "So maybe we'll get a vaccine every fall like we do for the flu."
