Will you have to get a COVID-19 vaccine every year?

ORLANDO, Fla. – New cases of the UK variant of the COVID-19 virus are being reported across the county.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are reporting 611 total cases of the COVID-19 variant in the United States, with Florida leading with 187 cases.

At least 16 cases of the UK variant have been reported in Central Florida.

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News 6 spoke with Dr. Jarod Fox, an infectious disease physician at Orlando Health to ask him several questions about COVID-19 and the new variants.

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Lauren Cervantes: Will people have to be vaccinated every year for this, like the flu vaccine, or will that be something where you get the initial vaccine and then get a booster dose every few years?

Dr. Jarod Fox said now that they do not know the answer to this question. He said most vaccine candidates are working on booster doses for several of the variants, but added that they may not be necessary. The companies are working ahead and producing the boosters if they are needed, according to Dr. Fox. He said that, as of now, most vaccines are effective against the variants presented.

Lauren Cervantes: Are young people more susceptible to new variants of the virus?

At the moment, Dr. Fox said he does not believe that one population is more susceptible than another.

Lauren Cervantes: Are the vaccines that exist now effective against all these variants?

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Dr. Fox told News 6 that both Moderna and Pfizer have done studies and that their vaccines are still effective against the variants. That said, he said they are less effective against the South Africa variant than against the UK variant.

Lauren Cervantes: Can the virus mutate to the point that the COVID-19 vaccines are no longer effective?

That would be the final concern, according to Dr. Fox. He said that we are not close to that point yet. He said there is always that chance if we don’t control infections.