Why You Should Wear a Mask Even After Receiving COVID-19 or the Vaccine

This month the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use in the U.S. As of December 14, the Vaccine for COVID-19 Doses have begun in all states. If you think that after receiving both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, you won’t have to worry about wearing a mask or social distancing, think again.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say it’s important to continue to follow current protection guidelines as experts learn more about protection than Vaccines for COVID-19 provide, the ability for vaccinated people to continue to spread the disease and more about immunity and reinfection if someone has recovered from COVID-19.

Here’s what health experts and the CDC have to say about why you need to keep wearing a mask and social distancing after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Read more: COVID-19 vaccines are safe, even without long-term data

COVID-19 Vaccine May Not Give You Complete Protection Right Away

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines come in two doses: The first vaccine begins to generate protection, while the second is necessary to get the best protection the vaccine has to offer against the coronavirus, according to the CDC.

The first shot was proven to be highly effectiveDr. Iahn Gonsenhauser, director of quality and patient safety at Wexner Medical Center, told CNET. He said the second dose amplifies protection and will extend the life of immunity.

After receiving the second injection, your body needs time to create the necessary protection to fight the virus. It could take up to two weeks to your COVID-19 vaccine to start protecting yourself against the coronavirus, according to the CDC. During that time, it is important that you and those around you stay safe by continuing with social distancing and wearing a mask when around people outside your home.

You can still transmit COVID-19, even after getting vaccinated

Because the coronavirus vaccine and COVID-19 are so new, there is not enough evidence at this time to know whether people can still carry coronavirus pathogens and transmit them to others without infecting themselves.

“This gives enough time for the virus to grow in the airways and spread the infection to others, all while the body fights its own infection, with the help of the vaccine,” Gonsenhauser told CNET.

There is a lack of data to show whether a vaccinated person can transmit the virus after becoming infected, and a person could potentially be a asymptomatic carrierhe added.

“While the vaccine is very effective, there is still a small chance (5 to 10%) that after someone gets vaccinated, they can become infected,” Gonsenhauser said. However, more data could become available as scientists and doctors learn more about the effects of the vaccine on COVID-19.

Read more: COVID-19 Reinfection: Can You Get Coronavirus More Than Once? What we know so far

Until experts fully understand the protection provided by a COVID-19 vaccine, it is important to continue wearing a mask and following social distancing protocols, the CDC says. This can help prevent the spread of the coronavirus between communities of people until more people are vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Wearing a mask is “adding protection to the vaccine,” Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy on CBS affiliated radio, said Dec. 14. The CDC says that together, wearing a mask and getting vaccinated will offer the best protection against the contagion and spread of COVID-19.

There are still unknowns about reinfection and ‘natural’ immunity

“The immune response, including the duration of immunity, to COVID-19 is not yet understood,” says the CDC.

More research is needed to determine the likelihood of re-infection, and the CDC says “it is not known what levels of antibodies are needed to protect against re-infection.”

The body’s defenses against the virus during and after infection seem to fade relatively quickly, making them difficult to achieve. group immunity over a longer period of time, according to Dr. William Haseltine, a former Harvard Medical School professor who is known for his work on the human genome and HIV / AIDS.

“The biggest concern is that someone will be re-infected with the same variant of COVID-19, not getting sick themselves, but still contagious to others. You can get infected twice and be asymptomatic the second time, and still carry it and pass it on to other more vulnerable people around you, “said John V. Williams, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh.

So far, there have been very few cases of coronavirus reinfection. In fact, reported cases of COVID-19 reinfection remain rare, according to the CDC. However, if COVID-19 is like other types of coronaviruses, like the common cold, reinfection will become more frequent as time goes on, according to Scientific American.

Unvaccinated people might think it’s okay to stop wearing a mask

It will take months or longer for a sufficient number of the population to be vaccinated to begin to see the number of cases decline substantially. Therefore, it is important to keep wearing masks whenever you are with people outside your home.

“If after getting vaccinated, people stop wearing their masks, other people who haven’t been vaccinated might start to think that the masks are no longer necessary,” Gonsenhauser said of social behavior. If those unvaccinated people have the virus, they can spread it faster if they don’t wear a mask.

Read more: The COVID-19 vaccine card is not an immunity passport. This is the difference

People in smaller groups are less likely to wear masks when they are together, according to a Vox poll first published in November. Thirty-two percent of those surveyed said they do not wear a mask when attending a meeting.

“Masks are a key measure to suppress transmission and save lives,” says the World Health Organization. If 95% of the public wears a mask, tens of thousands of lives could be saved, according to an October Nature Medicine study.

If many Americans reject the vaccine, wearing a mask can help protect you

In spite of the COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be safe, some Americans can avoid vaccination. Incorrect coronavirus vaccine myths and other misinformation have falsely claimed that the vaccine will include government tracking microchips or will be forcibly administered by the military. This is not true.

Some may be mistakenly concerned that the vaccine developed too quickly to be safe. Both vaccines in the US have underwent extensive clinical trials and they have been shown to be 94% and 95% effective, well above the required 90% efficacy threshold.

While a vaccine will not completely stop the pandemic in its tracks, it is the direct route to group immunity. However, to get there, more people will need to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. And, due to a limited number of doses, not everyone can get the coronavirus vaccine at once. In fact, depending on which group you’re in, you may have to wait until at least April to get the vaccine, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s leading infectious disease expert, if not later. .

If a significant portion of the population refuses to get vaccinated, we probably won’t see the number of new cases decline as fast as we’d like, says Gonsenhauser. He says he and other medical providers are doing their best to remind people how safe is the vaccine – From bringing accessible and relatable information to communities that have different oppositions to mistrusting the vaccine, to help them make better informed decisions.

How much longer will I have to wear a mask and social distance? What must happen?

Currently, there is not enough information at this time to determine whether or when the majority of the population can safely stop wearing masks and avoid close contact with others to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the CDC says, but it is It is likely to come down to the numbers.

When there are enough observable changes, such as the decrease in cases and the drastic drop in the threat levels of community spread. When that happens, medical experts can re-determine the need for masks. However, it could be well into 2021 before that happens.

“We would need to see a dramatic decrease in the number of new cases per 100,000 residents after enough vaccines have been administered,” Gonsenhauser said.

For more information, here are the Side Effects of the COVID-19 Vaccine and What We Know So Farand Hidden medical charges you may encounter after receiving the vaccine.. As well, this is where you can get the COVID-19 vaccine when it’s your turn.

The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical or health advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health goals.