Pine Island Task Force continues to discuss COVID-19 immunizations
By PAULETTE LeBLANC - | Feb 10, 2021
Monday’s Feb. 1 Pine Island Task Force meeting was primarily focused on current vaccinations. According to Dr. Jim Koopman, the length of immunity people can expect after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination is extremely varied.
“Some people get practically no immunity and some people have higher levels of immunity, but all of them wane (according to current estimates) lasting no more than two years,” said Koopman, stressing that right now there is a great degree of concern regarding the South African strain of the virus.
“There have been various strains that appear to be more transmissible and could have serious consequences with making the vaccine less effective,” he said. “The South African strain has a particular mutation that really affects the ability of the virus to be neutralized by antibodies from the vaccine or from prior infection. The worry about that par