A new coronavirus variant first detected by scientists in South Africa has brought concerns and questions for many people.It's unclear where the new variant actually came from, but it was first detected by scientists in South Africa and has also been seen in travelers to Hong Kong and Botswana.Health experts say this variant may be more dangerous than the delta variant, which has fueled waves of infection on every continent. This new variant has already sparked travel restrictions, shaken up world markets and has scientists scrambling to understand the risks.Americans often get a flu shot every year because of different strains, and some are wondering if we'll have to get more COVID-19 boosters because of the new variant.Dr. Vanessa Walker of Pulmonary Medical Associates said we may just have to wait and see."It's going to take time for us to see how this plays out to see whether or not we need boosters more frequently than you would typically expect, like we do with influenza," Walker said."The reason why it might be more likely that it would be the case is because with influenza we get a break, right? It goes around. It is seasonal. COVID isn't seasonal. It's always there. It's always going to be there, unfortunately," she added. Dr. Dean Blumberg, UC Davis pediatric infectious disease expert, also said it was unclear how long the protection from the vaccine could last."We are just at the beginning of how immunization protects against COVID. We know it protects very well, but we are still not sure if the optimal initial series is a two-shot or three-shot series and how long that is going to last," Blumberg said.He added that it's unknown how often we may end up needing boosters."Whether we will need boosters every year or every 10 years, or whether the boosters will need to be changed and adapt to the current circulating strains, these are all questions and we just don't have answers yet,” he said.
A new coronavirus variant first detected by scientists in South Africa has brought concerns and questions for many people.
It's unclear where the new variant actually came from, but it was first detected by scientists in South Africa and has also been seen in travelers to Hong Kong and Botswana.
Health experts say this variant may be more dangerous than the delta variant, which has fueled waves of infection on every continent. This new variant has already sparked travel restrictions, shaken up world markets and has scientists scrambling to understand the risks.
Americans often get a flu shot every year because of different strains, and some are wondering if we'll have to get more COVID-19 boosters because of the new variant.
Dr. Vanessa Walker of Pulmonary Medical Associates said we may just have to wait and see.
"It's going to take time for us to see how this plays out to see whether or not we need boosters more frequently than you would typically expect, like we do with influenza," Walker said.
"The reason why it might be more likely that it would be the case is because with influenza we get a break, right? It goes around. It is seasonal. COVID isn't seasonal. It's always there. It's always going to be there, unfortunately," she added.
Dr. Dean Blumberg, UC Davis pediatric infectious disease expert, also said it was unclear how long the protection from the vaccine could last.
"We are just at the beginning of how immunization protects against COVID. We know it protects very well, but we are still not sure if the optimal initial series is a two-shot or three-shot series and how long that is going to last," Blumberg said.
He added that it's unknown how often we may end up needing boosters.
"Whether we will need boosters every year or every 10 years, or whether the boosters will need to be changed and adapt to the current circulating strains, these are all questions and we just don't have answers yet,” he said.
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