HOUSTON — One of the big mysteries surrounding the coronavirus vaccines is how long immunity will last. Now scientists say they have solved that mystery and the news is good, at least for some.
Let’s connect the dots.
mRNA vaccines lasting protection
The new results were just published in the journal Nature. Researchers believe mRNA vaccines could provide protection against COVID-19 for the long-term. We are talking about the shots produced by Pfizer and Moderna, the study did not look at the Johnson and Johnson vaccine but the lead researcher to the New York Times said he did not believe the immune response from that shot would be as durable.
According to the findings, it looks like the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines created a persistent immune reaction in the body. An immunity that could last years. Researchers reported people who had those shots may not need to get a booster dose as long as the virus doesn’t evolve drastically from its current forms.
Diverse immunity fight variants
Scientists also believe that the immunity provided by the vaccines is actually better than the immunity provided by getting infected with coronavirus. That’s because it is more diverse, meaning it will do a better job fighting variants. But the best possible immunity appears to be people who were vaccinated and recovered from COVID. Their immunity could last a lifetime.