How Long Can You Stay Protected From the Novel Virus After Getting Vaccinated?

Everyone can agree that once the vaccines were announced, everyone sighed a breath of relief. More importantly, the feeling of hope festered anew, signaling that there might be a way to go back to a world before the pandemic. A world where you could see your friends and family without having to maintain social distance or wear a mask.

Pexels | The holidays just weren’t the same during the pandemic

Shots, Shots, Shots, Everybody

Around 63 million people have been able to receive their vaccination shots, and the number continues to grow every day. In the US, a new record of 4 million doses given within the span of 24 hours was recently reported. 

Since these vaccines are newly created, there’s little to no evidence or data regarding the details surrounding their effectiveness. But, with the help of clinical trials and the reports from the recent vaccinations, it has been observed that they are safe and highly effective in providing you with the best protection against the virus. 

Unsplash | After President Joe Biden confirmed that all adults could receive the vaccination, people flocked to vaccine sites to get their lifejacket against the novel virus

Still, many people have started to wonder how long will this effect last? Will the vaccine require a booster dose to keep up the protection against a stronger variant of the virus?

So, How Long Does The Vaccine Last?

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is set to provide around 6 months of complete protection against the virus. The data from the Phase 3 trial has shown that the vaccine has the ability to provide 91.3% protection for six months. Similarly, Moderna also provides the same protection amount since both are based on mRNA technology. 

While there is not much that can be said for Johnson & Johnson vaccine since not enough evidence has been provided to deduce its effectiveness and for how long.

Unsplash | With new variants springing up every other day, people begin worrying about the effectiveness of the vaccine

What Will Happen When The Time is Up?

The lack of data does not allow the scientists to give a conclusion to this issue. But, according to Dr. Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist, and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, the vaccine doesn’t come with an off switch.

This means while the effects of the vaccine may be wearing off, no data shows that it will become completely ineffective against the virus.

Doctors, on the other hand, have come to a conclusion that if vaccinated people do come in contact with the infected, their symptoms will be considerably less severe. And whatever symptoms do pop up will be easily taken care of by the immune system.