A new study from the Washington University School of Medicine is offering great news to those who have received a Moderna or Pfizer vaccine this year: It turns out the mRNA-based vaccines might offer protection against the health crisis for years.
The news could also mean that booster shots of either vaccine might not be needed.
This update does not apply to any other vaccine that's currently available, as Moderna and Pfizer are the only two that are mRNA-based.
As explained by People, the study found that so far the vaccines are creating "constant immune reactions" against the coronavirus. As the publication put it, "Looking at the cells in the lymph nodes of people who have been vaccinated, researchers determined that the cells are continually practicing how to fight against the virus, even 15 weeks after the first dose."
The lead author of the study, Ali Ellebedy, PhD, says, "The fact that the reactions continued for almost four months after vaccination — that's a very, very good sign." Historically, these reactions will peak a week or so after vaccination, so that makes this news especially fantastic for those who are vaccinated.
Additionally, some researchers now think that if someone recovered from COVID-19 and then received two doses of the vaccine, they might have a lifetime immunity to the virus.
The study also notes that researchers did not include the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in their study as it is not an mRNA-based vaccine.
The hope is that more people will get vaccinated, which will help stop the development of new variants.
As Dr. Anthony Fauci recently explained, "Viruses don't mutate if they don't replicate. If you give them the opportunity to replicate by allowing them to spread from person to person, you're giving them the perfect opportunity to mutate even more and perhaps evade the vaccine."
