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A health worker prepares to administer the AstraZeneca jab in Abuja, Nigeria. AFP
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A young woman receives a Pfizer jab in Diepsloot Township near Johannesburg, South Africa. AP Photo
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A girl wearing a face mask rides on a merry-go-round at the Christmas market in Frankfurt, Germany. AP Photo
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People travel on a London underground tube train on the Jubilee Line, in London, during the pandemic. AP Photo
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People wait for the tram in Vienna, Austria, amid the crisis. AP Photo
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A woman passes by an empty terrace in the Marrolles quarter in Brussels, Belgium. AP Photo
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A teacher gives online lessons via webcam at the temporarily closed elementary school in the town of Trebisov, eastern Slovakia. TASR via AP
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Hairdressers and clients wear masks in Amsterdam, Netherlands. AFP
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A man disinfects seats for tourists at a beach in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. EPA
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Israeli boy Itamar, 5, receives a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at the Meuhedet Healthcare Services Organisation in Tel Aviv. AFP
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A patient suffering from Covid-19 is admitted in the intensive care unit of the Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. Reuters
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A health worker prepares to administer the AstraZeneca jab in Abuja, Nigeria. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/D43FRIQKSDEWEENLN5SP3LSUPY.jpg?smart=true&auth=084bb5fd10bbfbf8f39c98ad9cdb1b8772f143c2388607fcf3f288e3aa58b60c&width=400&height=225)
A young woman receives a Pfizer jab in Diepsloot Township near Johannesburg, South Africa. AP Photo
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/NHWQXK3CEDDBMPFKWQBOIAC7FQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=0aec17b5d5d68cef27eca0da5971cf6b7fca18661a30addd4ddcc73b19d3eafa&width=400&height=225)
A girl wearing a face mask rides on a merry-go-round at the Christmas market in Frankfurt, Germany. AP Photo
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FW3U66BOGH2XISZIMLDJMG4TMU.jpg?smart=true&auth=a33332c4ef07b0c94478057eb51b48f4670a75be9df671e0a163740f1c3f87e6&width=400&height=225)
People travel on a London underground tube train on the Jubilee Line, in London, during the pandemic. AP Photo
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People wait for the tram in Vienna, Austria, amid the crisis. AP Photo
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/DKW2YE27XT46W3PUWDL7S2ZYSQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=391fea9246cc033915d393632c10da548ead551f0ac1f95674f5ea8451ed78b9&width=400&height=225)
A woman passes by an empty terrace in the Marrolles quarter in Brussels, Belgium. AP Photo
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A teacher gives online lessons via webcam at the temporarily closed elementary school in the town of Trebisov, eastern Slovakia. TASR via AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/YNUCL346RHUGLE3UIGDMTEZEHY.jpg?smart=true&auth=7ade1ee50439d68ba9b01745c68b62a7d76a5f027eacf7173b2c441b6c118e5e&width=400&height=225)
Hairdressers and clients wear masks in Amsterdam, Netherlands. AFP
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A man disinfects seats for tourists at a beach in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. EPA
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Israeli boy Itamar, 5, receives a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at the Meuhedet Healthcare Services Organisation in Tel Aviv. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/INT42MCPTY2QWT7QNTSIRYG7KY.jpg?smart=true&auth=67c43f3e1f53ca65917de73f093821aa2f6598d3c201219bcd84f6c4f87dc4e9&width=400&height=225)
A patient suffering from Covid-19 is admitted in the intensive care unit of the Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. Reuters
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QCLSSV44SCIBBWODGU3ARZHSCY.jpg?smart=true&auth=ed8f14b01f884ef543a6f3fb9f6bf2968241c2012297ae8c7706b5d38eb309e6&width=400&height=225)
A health worker prepares to administer the AstraZeneca jab in Abuja, Nigeria. AFP
Will coronavirus booster shots be needed for ever?
As Omicron wreaks havoc around the globe, governments are grappling with the idea that Covid-19 vaccine doses may be needed indefinitely
![Daniel Bardsley](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Farc-authors%2Fthenational%2F4dcffed7-67d1-4c6f-b468-84a82d1ddd22.png?smart=true&auth=e4d7a6e3c76d7ec922e25339bc18538c62bc925936c2316006dc89b8a7becdc6&width=70&height=70)
Daniel Bardsley
04 January, 2022
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