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ATLANTA – We’re starting to learn a lot more about how long the COVID-19 vaccine protects us from the virus.
Pfizer announced Thursday that its vaccine offered strong protection for at least six months.
We realize that some people might hear this and worry that it means they need to get the vaccine in just a few months. It is possible, but it seems more likely that the shots will protect you even longer.
As a dental assistant at Buckhead, Ivan Morales received his two COVID-19 vaccines in January. This made him one of the first to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
“It is the one that has just been given to us. We didn’t really have a say, ”Morales said. “I was actually a little excited because I’m just kinda ready to get over all of this coronavirus-related nonsense.”
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On Thursday, Pfizer announced that Ivan and other Georgians who received the company’s vaccine will enjoy strong protection against the virus for “at least” six months.
“I’m not really too worried about it. It’s like a flu shot. You get that every year because viruses mutate and things like that, ”Morales said.
But the experts said Justin Wilfon of Channel 2 that the vaccine is likely to provide protection for well over six months.
“I think we’re going to have to review this every year on the basis of ongoing studies. We have just started vaccinating people with the first dose. New studies are coming out. We will have to see what immunity looks like at nine months, at 12 months, ”said Dr Chirag Patel of Wellstar Health System.
Scientists are still testing the long-term effectiveness of all vaccines, but Patel thinks it’s likely we’ll all need annual vaccines.
“What the studies show is at six months is when the immunity starts to wane. It doesn’t necessarily go to zero, ”Patel said.
So far, according to Georgia’s Ministry of Public Health, more than 2.1 million Georgians have received the Pfizer vaccine.
Morales told Wilfon he hopes he will offer protection for more than six months.
“Yeah that would be surprising and I don’t really know how I would react to it,” Morales said.
Regardless of the length of protection, Morales said his message to others remains the same: get vaccinated.
“I think once everyone gets vaccinated we can get rid of this virus,” Morales said.
In the same announcement Thursday, Pfizer said its vaccine was 100% effective against serious illnesses as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Wednesday, the company announced that its vaccine was also 100% effective in a trial in children aged 12 to 15.
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