Annual Vaccinations Are Very Probable
The Claim
COVID-19 vaccine will become an annual dose.
News posted on
Emerging story
News circulating online claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine will become a booster dose and annual vaccinations. News websites and social media users online widely shared the claim.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar found no evidence of the news spread about the annual COVID-19 vaccine. It is possible that the vaccine will be taken annually, which is the way influenza vaccines are treated, but this has not been confirmed yet.
The World Health Organization stated that it’s too early to know if COVID-19 vaccines will provide long-term protection. Additional research is needed to answer this question. However, it’s encouraging that available data suggest that most people who recover from COVID-19 develop an immune response that provides at least some period of protection against reinfection – although we’re still learning how strong this protection is, and how long it lasts.
Most COVID-19 vaccines are currently being tested and reviewed.
According to Reuters, a COVID-19 booster in the autumn and then annual vaccinations are very probable, Britain’s vaccine deployment minister said on Sunday as countries race to administer injections in the face of new variants.
The WHO announced that there is no evidence that any existing vaccines will protect against COVID-19.
However, scientists are studying whether some existing vaccines – such as the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which is used to prevent tuberculosis – are also effective for COVID-19. WHO will evaluate evidence from these studies when available.
