We learned a lot about COVID vaccines in a short time. We know, for example, that all three vaccines are highly effective and that each has a stellar history of protection against hospitalization and death. And now, months after data collection, we have another crucial piece of information: how long the vaccine will last. According to the White House COVID consultant Anthony Fauci, MD, you can expect to be protected by current vaccines for at least six months. Read more about Fauci’s assessment and, if you are ready to make a vaccination plan, you can be vaccinated at any Walgreens by this date.
If six months doesn’t seem like much, don’t panic: Fauci says there is a good chance that vaccines will last a little longer than that. As he explained in a March 3 interview with Wired, the researchers collected six-month data and confirmed that vaccines continue to offer robust protection for at least that period of time. The CDC and the vaccine manufacturers themselves will continue to monitor antibody levels at regular intervals, until they find signs that protection levels are decreasing.
“What you do is follow people for a period of time, measure the level of antibodies and look for invasive infections,” explained Fauci. “If it seems that after a year and a half, antibody levels drop and people start to have rupture infections, then we know that after a year and a half, we will probably have to give them a boost,” he said.
Currently, Fauci says that we know that antibody levels are still likely to be strong after six months “and perhaps much more” after the second doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. And although it can be disconcerting not to know exactly how long will you be protected, think like this: the longer you have to wait for an answer, the better the results will be. Continue reading for more information on Fauci and for more unmissable vaccine news, Dr. Fauci Says Don’t Do This After Your First COVID Injection.
The numbers may be decreasing, but Fauci explains that it is not the time to rest on their laurels. “We are not going to declare victory yet, right? You don’t want the decline we’re seeing to stabilize at an excessively high level, ”he said Wired.
Fauci argued that the key to cracking down on new variants is to continue the aggressive practice of social security measures that have so far worked in our favor. “There is a principle in biology that viruses do not mutate unless you give them the opportunity to replicate,” he said. “The easiest way to prevent spread in the community is to vaccinate as many people as possible at the same time. that you follow public health measures for wearing masks, to avoid close contact, to avoid crowded environments. ”And to get the latest COVID news directly to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
While this may be the first pandemic for individuals under the age of 100, COVID is hardly the first public health crisis that will be resolved with vaccines. “Throughout our history, we have been confronted with diseases that threatened our health, life and even our survival. Smallpox, measles, polio – they were all beaten by vaccines, ”said Fauci.
“We are fortunate to have three highly effective vaccines with a very good safety profile. Soon, we will have even more ”, he added. Now, the task is to put vaccines in the arms “in a very organized, fast and efficient way”, says Fauci. And for more vaccine tips, the CDC states that you don’t have to do this before your COVID vaccine.
Asked whether or not it would be beneficial to vaccinate more Americans with his initial doses of vaccine and administer his second doses later, Fauci was firm in his belief that, with a few exceptions, we need to follow the original two-dose schedule with a recommended interval of 21 or 28 days.
“We don’t know how long a single dose is,” warned Fauci. “And it is conceivable if all you do is give people the first dose and significantly delay the administration of the second dose, you may experience a decrease in effectiveness,” he warned. Fauci added that the second dose of the vaccine increases the level of antibodies “by at least ten times”, which could explain the low levels of hospitalization and deaths in vaccinated individuals – even those who were exposed to the most dangerous variants.
Finally, Fauci shared what he felt he “learned about the American people” during the first year of the pandemic – and while it may be accurate, it is not particularly flattering. “I think that we are currently living in a very, very divisive society. Almost divided in half … It is the extreme division, where even public health measures take on a political tone, where wearing a mask or not is a reflection of what your political tendencies are. That shouldn’t be, ”he said.
“Public health must be independent of political differences. But we didn’t see that with the outbreak of COVID-19. We are all in this together and we all have to work together. But apparently it doesn’t always happen, ”said Fauci. And to learn more about the duration of vaccine immunity, the CEO of Pfizer says that the need for a COVID vaccine is frequent.