As the academician, director of the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Sergey Komisarenko noted, whether it will be necessary to be vaccinated annually depends on changes in the virus itself.
“If the vaccination is strong enough and the immune response persists for two or three years, then you will have to be vaccinated every two or three years,” Komisarenko said.
He added that although dangerous strains of COVID-19, like the South African one, are recorded, in general, it mutates 3-4 times slower than the flu virus.
“If there are strains that are insensitive to the vaccine, then they have mutations that will even more actively” run away “from the vaccine – therefore, vaccination must be completed as soon as possible,” the expert said.
At the same time, an infectious disease specialist, a teacher at the School of Health of the Kiev-Mohyla Academy, Volodymyr Kurpita, said that vaccination against coronavirus could become a common practice. However, its format is not yet clear.
“If it is like with the flu, when there is a recommendation to be vaccinated annually, then a clear category of persons who should be vaccinated will be selected,” the expert said.
An alternative option could be general vaccination, as is the case with diphtheria and tetanus, but then the vaccinations will be given at a long time interval.
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