STAT reports:

With the world facing the latest in a seemingly endless stream of coronavirus variants — and with bullish talk from manufacturers about a need for even more vaccine shots — you wouldn’t be alone if you were wondering: Are Covid boosters always going to be a fixture in our future?

The simple truth is that, at this point, there’s no definitive answer to that question.

But virologists, immunologists, and vaccinologists have opinions that are anchored in an understanding of how the immune system works and in emerging data on how Covid vaccines engage with this complicated enterprise that has evolved to help humans fend off disease threats.

STAT asked a number of these experts whether they think we face a future of endless Covid boosting. In the main, their answers were more reassuring than we expected.

Some said they think three doses of vaccine may protect many people for some time against the worst of Covid’s potential ravages. Many said they think the benefit of the third shot, given after a six-month interval, will turbocharge immune responses. [Continue reading…]