SPOKANE, Wash. – RaNae on Facebook asked: “After receiving the vaccine (both doses), how long am I immune? What happens after the immunity expires? Is there a plan for “next steps?”
We reached out to Paul Pottinger, a University of Washington professor of medicine in the division of allergy and infection diseases. He said as of right now, no one knows for sure how long immunity lasts, but doctors are optimistic that immunity will least for at least a year, and some people think it may last for a lifetime.
He added that this is a great question, but with the pandemic and virus only being a year old, with vaccines only being available for a few months, more studying time is necessary.
He said stay tuned because this is a very hot topic and health professionals are eager to continue studying this for many years to come.
As for next steps, the CDC says it’s important to continue wearing a mask and social distancing. It’s also unclear at this time whether or not people who receive the COVID-19 vaccine have the ability to spread the virus to others.
