[chaosite]

There's no basis to believe at this point that we'll need "booster shots" of any kind with COVID vaccination, and in fact the opposite seems to be the case, so this comment is being downvoted for spreading misinformation (amusingly, this specific comment will probably be disliked by both vaccination proponents and disease proponents :)

The reason we won't need yearly vaccinations as with the flu shots isn't a property of the mRNA vaccine, it's a property of COVID-19. The watered-down explanation is that this particular sort of virus simply doesn't mutate as much as the flu virus because it has a mechanism that prevents it. We do see variants, but they're actually quite similar so the same vaccine still works (thankfully).

It's also why we're talking about COVID "variants" and flu "strains". In this context, a different "strain" usually signifies different surface proteins, i.e., you need a different vaccine for it. I don't believe that we've seen a second COVID strain yet.

[aix1]

How do I reconcile this with the existence of, say, Moderna booster? https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-d...

(Genuine question.)

[chaosite]

We really don't know yet if (and when) a booster shot would be needed, and if we would need an extra shot of the same vaccine (to help with immune escape) or a tweaked version (for resistant variants). So far research suggests that we're good, but this isn't something that's set in stone.

If you're a vaccine maker, it's a good idea to have something ready if it turns out that a booster is needed. If you're in charge of public health, it's a good idea to plan for that possibility. That doesn't make it the plan yet.

Also note that you're looking at a press release. Scientific press releases take the information from the article, summarize it by giving the main achievement, removing any caveats, and otherwise presenting it in the best possible light possible. There are press releases like that for vaccines that were later shown to be ineffective, because at that point they were promising.

[M2Ys4U]

Hedging bets - It's better to have a booster ready and approved and not need it than need one and not have it.

[thehappypm]

Of course the manufacturers would love for there to be a need for a booster for every man, woman, and child on Earth!