COVID-19 vaccines are likely to be needed annually. According to Pfizer’s Chief Executive Albert Bourla an annual COVID-19 vaccine will be needed indefinitely. Bourla stated, “It is likely that people who receive COVID-19 vaccines will need booster shots within a year afterward, and then annual vaccinations, to maintain protection against the virus as it evolves.”
Health care providers are often required to get certain vaccinations, including the yearly flu vaccine, in order to operate in a medical setting. EMS providers and other health care professionals may soon be required to get a yearly COVID-19 vaccine as well.
Bourla goes on to say that, although there is a possibility that an annual vaccination for COVID-19 may not be required, the current research suggests otherwise. Bourla discusses that the COVID-19 virus is not like the poliovirus, where only one shot is needed and then done. Instead, Bourla compares the COVID-19 virus to the Flu virus, stating that, based off current research, the likelihood that an annual vaccination will be needed is high.
