February 04, 2021 BY CYNTHIA DEMARCO
You’ve gotten a COVID-19 vaccine. That’s
a big, welcome milestone. After months of masking, social distancing and
seemingly endless hand-washing, you now
have extra protection.
But what does being vaccinated really mean, in terms of
how to live your daily life? Is it safe to socialize with your friends and extended
family now? Do you still need to wear a mask and stay socially
distanced from them, if you do? What if they’ve been vaccinated, too?
Before you start making plans, here’s what you should
know.
You need both COVID-19 vaccine doses
and time to ensure maximum protection
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines confer some level
of protection after the first dose. But it’s important to get the second dose
for maximum protection.
“If you’re only halfway through your two-dose vaccine
regimen, you could be only about 50% protected until you receive the second
required dose,” says Roy Chemaly, M.D., chief infection control
officer.
The Pfizer vaccine is delivered in two separate doses
that are given 3 weeks apart. The Moderna vaccine is delivered in two separate
doses given 4 weeks apart.
Data from the clinical trials for these vaccines shows
you need to get the second dose to achieve a higher level of protection.
Vaccine recipients are up to 50% protected against the possibility of a severe
infection about 10 days after the first dose, and up to 95% protected about
seven days after the second one.
So, you shouldn’t leave either of your vaccination
appointments assuming you’re fully protected.
Vaccination doesn’t guarantee you
won’t get a COVID-19 infection
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines prevent up to 95%
of recipients from developing a severe case of COVID-19 — not from
developing any case at all. And preliminary data show they are also effective
against the current mutations from South Africa and the United Kingdom, though
that may not be true for future strains.
“The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are very effective, but they
are not 100% effective,” says Chemaly. “Around 5% to 13% of those who receive
the vaccine will not be protected from a COVID-19 infection.”
You may be still be able to spread the
coronavirus after you’re vaccinated
We don’t yet know whether the vaccines protect against
asymptomatic transmission of the coronavirus, Chemaly says.
“This would enable you to pass the virus to someone else
even after you’ve been vaccinated, which is why it’s so important to continue
wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and washing your hands regularly,”
he notes.
Continue to avoid large gatherings and
indoor get-togethers
Being vaccinated significantly reduces the odds you’ll
develop a severe case of COVID-19. “But our national COVID-19 vaccine supply is
still limited right now, so not everyone around you will be able to get
vaccinated right away,” says Welela Tereffe, M.D.,
chief medical executive.
This means it’s still unsafe — even after vaccination —
to gather in large groups or to have indoor gatherings that mix members from
different households. Because of the potential for asymptomatic transmission,
this is still true even if those you’re gathering with have also been
vaccinated.
“Those kinds of behaviors are what’s driving the
pandemic and increasing the risk of illness and death for so many people,” says
Tereffe. “That’s why it’s so important, even after you’ve been vaccinated, to
avoid large gatherings and indoor get-togethers, and keep wearing a mask,
social distancing and washing your hands until public health experts tell us
otherwise.”
Don’t let down your guard yet
So, how much longer will the pandemic last, and when can
we finally take off our masks and hug all the people we love?
Chemaly says the answer to those questions is both easy
to say and hard to predict: when we reach herd immunity. At least
70% of the population will need to be vaccinated or have natural immunity in
order to achieve that milestone. And since the coronavirus is still so new,
there’s simply not enough data available yet to say when that might occur.
“We really don’t know and I don’t want to guess exactly
when that will be,” says Chemaly. “It depends on how quickly the vaccine is
widely distributed, and how many people will take it. We just have to wait and
see what the data show.”
Until then, the same rules apply after vaccination as
did before vaccination: keep wearing a mask, social distancing and washing your
hands. “We’re confident that vaccination will help us get through this,”
Chemaly says, “but we can’t let down our guard yet.”
Request an appointment at MD
Anderson online or by calling 1-855-728-7094.
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