Should You Get a COVID-19 Vaccine Shot Every Year?

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

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

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

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News 6 sat down with Dr. Jarod Fox, an infectious diseases physician at Orlando Health, to ask him a variety of questions about COVID-19 and its new variants.

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

Dr. Jarod Fox said at this point that they don’t know the answer to this question. He said most vaccine candidates are on booster shots for a number of variants, but added they may not be necessary. According to Dr. Fox advance companies and produce the boosters in case they are needed. He said that as of now, most vaccines are effective against the variants presented.

Lauren Cervantes: Are younger people more sensitive to the new variants of the virus?

As of now, Dr. Fox that they don’t believe one population is more susceptible than another.

Lauren Cervantes: Are the vaccines out there now effective against all of these variants?

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

Lauren Cervantes: Could the virus mutate in such a way that the COVID-19 vaccines are no longer effective?

This, according to Dr. Fox’s biggest concern. He said we’re not there yet. He said there is always a chance if we don’t get the infections under control.