VERIFY: COVID-19 vaccines offer protection for at least 6 months, maybe longer Experts say people will likely need a COVID-19 vaccine booster within 12 months of being fully vaccinated to protect against emerging variants of the virus. Author: Mark Hanrahan Updated: 12:54 PM PDT April 30, 2021 SPOKANE, Wash. — Nearly 30% of Washington residents and roughly 25% of Idaho residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That’s according to data from Johns Hopkins University. As a growing number of people get the COVID-19 vaccine, several people have reached out to the KREM 2 Verify Team to ask how long protection from the shot lasts. Viewer Cindy recently asked via email: “How long does the Covid vaccine last? What is the protocol to [get] revaccinated, say in 6 months?”