Will you need more booster shots to protect against new COVID-19 variants? Doctors explain

REAL TIME. WE’RE LEARNING MORE AND MORE ABOUT WE KNOW YOU ALL HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS VARIANT THE INSTANCES AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILYND A OF COURSE THE POSSIBILITY ABOUT EVEN MORE BOOSTERS. THAT’S WHY WE TOOK YOUR QUESTIONS TO TWO DOCTORS IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, DR. VANESSA WALKER PROVIDESPE SCIALIZED CARE FOR COMPLEX CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS THAT PULMONARY MEDICINE ASSOCIATES, AND THEN DR. DEAN BLOMBERG IS THE CHIEF OF PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT UC DAVIS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL. SO OUR FIRST QUESTION THERE ARE TONS OF COVID-19 VARIANTS OUT THERE. WHAT MAKES THIS VARIANT SUCH A COERNNC WE’VE ALL HEARD ABOUT DIFFERENT MUT. INSTEAD OF OCCURRED AND I THINK SOME OF US INCLUDING ME YOU HEAR ABOUT A NEW VARIANT AND YOU THINKH, O YEAH, THERE’S ALWAYS A NEW VARIANT BUT IS IT SIGNIFICANT? AND I THINK THAT’S WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT TODAY IS WE’RE HEARING TTHA THIS NEW VARIANT IS SIGNIFICANT. IT IS A VARIANT OF CONCERN. THERE ARE SO MANY VARIANTS WHICH IS TO BE EXPECTED AND THE WAY THAT THIS VIRUS REPLICATES HOW QUICKLY IT SPREADS ACROSS, YOU KNOW, IT SPREAD ACROSS THE WORLD. IT’S HAD PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE VARIATIONS. SO THIS ISN’T SURPRISING THAT WE’VE SEEN THIS IN FACT, WE’VE ALL KIND OF BEEN EXPECTING THIS TO HAPPEN. IT APPEARS TO BE MORE CONTAGIOUS AND IT MHTIG ESCAPE VACCINE-INDUCED IMMUNITY. SO THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS ABOUT THIS VARIANT. I THINK SOME GOOD NEWS ON THE HORIZON IS THE FACT THAT WE DO HAVE MICEDATIONS COMING OUT THEY CAN TREAT COVID-19 ONCE YOU GET IT. AWEOLS ASKED OUR DOCTORS. HOW DO THEY PLAN ON ANSWERING THEIR PATIENTS’UE QSTNSIO ABOUT THIS NEW VARIANT? I’M MAKING MOST PEOPLE AREN’T GOING TO BE FOCUSED ON ALL. THE YOU KNOW SCIENTIFIC LITTLE TIDBITS THAT ARE GOING INTO TH,IS RIGHT WHICH TYPE OF AMINO ACID IS REPLACING, WHICH THAT’S NOT WHAT THE CEARY ABOUT THEY CARE ABOUT. HOW IS THIS GOING TO AFFECT ME HOW THIS CAN AFFECT MY FAMILY. I THINK IT CAUSES SOME ANXIETY, BUT IT’S A WAIT AND SEE SITUATION. SO WE'L’ HAVE TO SEE HOW FAST THIS SPREADS. IS IT REALLY THAT TRANSMISSIBLE IN DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES RIGHT NOW. IT’SEF DINELITY NOT CIRCULATING IN THIS COUNTRY. WE HAVE NOT SEEN ANY EVIDENCE THAT IT’S CIRCULANGTI IN THIS COUNTRY, BUT IF IT EYES, AND EVENTUALLY I GUARANTEE YOU WILL WE HAVE THE TOOLS TO FIGHT THIS WE’RE ALSO CONCERNED. IS IT MORE SERIOUS? DOES IT RESULT IN MORE SERIOUS DISEASE THATNC IREESAS THE RATE OF HOSPITALIZATION OR EVEN DEATH COMPARED TO PREVIOUS STINRAS. SO THERE’S A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND NOT MANY ANSWERS YET. AND SO THAT TO ME IS THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO WAIT FOR THE ACTUAL DATA TO SEE HOW CONCERNED WE NEED TO BE ABOUT IT. AND FINALLY A QUEIOSTN MANY OF US HAD EVEN BEFORE THIS LATEST VARIANT. FLU SHOT MANY GETS FLU SHOTS EVERY YEAR WITH THESE VARIANTS WHAT WE HAVE TO GET BOOSTERS EVERY SIX MONTHS. TAKE TIME FOR US TO SEE HOW THIS THAN WHEN YOU WE WOULD TYPICALLY EXPECT. LIKE WE DO WITH INFLUENZA THE REASON WHY IT MIGHT BE MORE LIKELY THAT TTHA WOULD BE THE CASE IS BECAUSE WITH INFLUENZA WE GET A BREAK, RIGHT IT GOES AROUND ITS SEASONAL COVID ISN’T SEASONAL. IT’S ALWAYS THERE AND SO IT’S ALWAYS GOING TO BE THERE. UNFORTUNATELY. WE’RE JUST ATHE T BEGINNING OF UNDERSTANDING HOW IMMUNIZATION PROTECTS AGAINST COVID WE KNOW ATTH IT PROTECTS VERY WELL, BUT WE’RE STILL NOT SURE IF THE OPTIMAL INITIAL SERIES IS A TWO OR THREE DOSE SERIES HOW LONG THAT’S GOING TO LAST WHETHER WE’RE NEED BOOSTERS EVERY YEAR OR EVERY 10 YEARS OR WHETHER THE BOOSTERS WILL NEED TO BE CHANGED AND TO ADAPT TO THE CURRENT CIRCULATING STRAINS. THESE ARE ALL QUE

A new coronavirus variant first detected by scientists in South Africa has brought concerns and questions for many people.It's unclear where the new variant actually came from, but it was first detected by scientists in South Africa and has also been seen in travelers to Hong Kong and Botswana.Health experts say this variant may be more dangerous than the delta variant, which has fueled waves of infection on every continent. This new variant has already sparked travel restrictions, shaken up world markets and has scientists scrambling to understand the risks.Americans often get a flu shot every year because of different strains, and some are wondering if we'll have to get more COVID-19 boosters because of the new variant.Dr. Vanessa Walker of Pulmonary Medical Associates said we may just have to wait and see."It's going to take time for us to see how this plays out to see whether or not we need boosters more frequently than you would typically expect, like we do with influenza," Walker said."The reason why it might be more likely that it would be the case is because with influenza we get a break, right? It goes around. It is seasonal. COVID isn't seasonal. It's always there. It's always going to be there, unfortunately," she added. Dr. Dean Blumberg, UC Davis pediatric infectious disease expert, also said it was unclear how long the protection from the vaccine could last."We are just at the beginning of how immunization protects against COVID. We know it protects very well, but we are still not sure if the optimal initial series is a two-shot or three-shot series and how long that is going to last," Blumberg said.He added that it's unknown how often we may end up needing boosters."Whether we will need boosters every year or every 10 years, or whether the boosters will need to be changed and adapt to the current circulating strains, these are all questions and we just don't have answers yet,” he said.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

A new coronavirus variant first detected by scientists in South Africa has brought concerns and questions for many people.

It's unclear where the new variant actually came from, but it was first detected by scientists in South Africa and has also been seen in travelers to Hong Kong and Botswana.

Health experts say this variant may be more dangerous than the delta variant, which has fueled waves of infection on every continent. This new variant has already sparked travel restrictions, shaken up world markets and has scientists scrambling to understand the risks.

Americans often get a flu shot every year because of different strains, and some are wondering if we'll have to get more COVID-19 boosters because of the new variant.

Dr. Vanessa Walker of Pulmonary Medical Associates said we may just have to wait and see.

"It's going to take time for us to see how this plays out to see whether or not we need boosters more frequently than you would typically expect, like we do with influenza," Walker said.

"The reason why it might be more likely that it would be the case is because with influenza we get a break, right? It goes around. It is seasonal. COVID isn't seasonal. It's always there. It's always going to be there, unfortunately," she added.

Dr. Dean Blumberg, UC Davis pediatric infectious disease expert, also said it was unclear how long the protection from the vaccine could last.

"We are just at the beginning of how immunization protects against COVID. We know it protects very well, but we are still not sure if the optimal initial series is a two-shot or three-shot series and how long that is going to last," Blumberg said.

He added that it's unknown how often we may end up needing boosters.

"Whether we will need boosters every year or every 10 years, or whether the boosters will need to be changed and adapt to the current circulating strains, these are all questions and we just don't have answers yet,” he said.

Will you need more booster shots to protect against new COVID-19 variants? Doctors explain

TRACKING THE COVID-19 VACCINE

Top Picks