With COVID-19 vaccines continuing to go out around the country, some questions that may arise are whether or not the vaccine will have to be adjusted over time. 

Guthrie County Public Health Director Jotham Arber says health officials are in the process of researching if the vaccines would have to change. Arber notes that the flu shot changes a lot simply because the influenza virus can mutate quickly, which is something the coronavirus hasn’t done as quickly.  

“With the coronavirus we have seen mutations and variants but we haven’t seen the level of mutation that we do in the flu. So, that would almost indicate to us, and there’s nothing set in stone yet and we are still studying it, but that it may not necessarily need to change the vaccine itself every single year.”

Arber tells Raccoon Valley Radio that if more variants continue to pop up over time and if coronavirus becomes endemic, meaning it’s an annual illness like the flu, more questions will be able to be answered as to if the vaccine will need to change in any way or require a booster.