At this point in the pandemic, 66 million Americans have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. That means they either got 2 doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

There has been a lot of hope that goes with getting fully vaccinated. Americans talk about the things they’ll do once they and their friends are vaccinated, like visiting their grandparents or hugging their friends.

Getting vaccinated comes with side effects that vary from person to person, but even the worst side effects, like a couple days of staying in bed recovering from body aches and fatigue, is worth it to be able to get back to life as normal.

Does being fully vaccinated mean life gets back to normal? Vaccinated people are told to continue to wear face masks and practice social distancing. Yet, this has to ends at some point, right?

Right. Yet, “fully vaccinated” may not mean what we were originally hoping it meant. We were hoping that the COVID-19 vaccine would be kind of like a routine vaccine you get as a child and then never need to get again. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that’s the case. Pfizer says that a third booster shot may be needed a year after getting vaccinated, and it might even be necessary to get vaccinated every single year.

Watch the video below to learn more about what the Pfizer CEO has to say about the most likely necessary COVID-19 booster shot.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC, “A likely scenario is that there will be likely a need for a third dose, somewhere between six and 12 months and then from there, there will be an annual revaccination, but all of that needs to be confirmed. And again, the variants will play a key role.”

Bourla stressed that making sure as many people as possible are vaccinated is critical. “It is extremely important to suppress the pool of people that can be susceptible to the virus.”

Have you gotten vaccinated for COVID-19? Does it surprise you that a booster shot and possibly annual shot may be necessary?