Since the arrival of a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19 in mid-December, there has been a glimmer of hope at the end of the long, dark tunnel of this pandemic. While shots are being fired, many inoculated people are wondering what is safe for them to do and how to navigate the last few miles of the road normally again.
“Only remember that you are not considered immune immediately after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine,” says Dr Timothy Laird, Chief Medical Officer of Health First Medical Group in Melbourne, Florida.
There are currently three vaccines that can be used in the United States:
An mRNA vaccine manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, delivered via two shots given 21 days apart.
2. An MRNA vaccine manufactured by Moderna, given via two shots given 28 days apart.
3. A viral vaccinated vaccine manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, administered via a single shot.
Although these vaccines use two different approaches to bring about immunity, they have all been proven to be safe and effective, and all have excellent success rates in preventing serious illnesses and deaths. But getting there takes some time.
“If you have received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, you should wait two weeks after the second dose before fully considering yourself,” says Laird. “If you are given the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you will be considered fully protected two weeks after the dose.”
During the two-week period, your body works hard to build the antibodies needed to fight the coronavirus if you are exposed to it, says Dr. Niket Sonpal, a board-certified gastroenterologist and internist in New York. “What we do is we increase the likelihood and concentration of antibodies to neutralize the virus when you come in contact with it,” he explains.
You have partial immunity two weeks after the first shot, but ‘everyone is different, and the effect is different. You create antibodies immediately ‘, but how protective it is against infection is unknown and can vary from person to person. This is why it is so important to get the second survey on time as indicated.
“While you are waiting for your second dose, and for the next two weeks, you should still follow the guidelines for disease control and prevention centers, as if you have not been vaccinated,” Laird adds.
In other words, keep doing all the things we’ve been doing over the past year to stop the spread: wear a mask, wash your hands, and keep social distance.
[See: Foods That Can Support Your Immunity.]
What else can I do after being vaccinated?
However, two weeks after completing the vaccination, there are a few things you can do a little differently. To help people better understand what is safe and what is still potentially dangerous to do when vaccines are in effect, on March 8, 2021, the CDC released its first set of recommendations on activities that people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, can safely resume.
The CDC guidelines state that if you are fully vaccinated, you will:
– Get inside with other fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask. The CDC did not specify a size limit on such gatherings of people who were fully vaccinated. “Activities such as cooking or a game night with a fully vaccinated group are largely considered safe,” says Laird.
Collect indoors with non-vaccinated from one household without wearing a mask. For example, if you visit family members who all live together, you can visit with them without a mask, unless COVID-19 has an increased risk of serious diseases.
– If you have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to be quarantined or tested unless you have symptoms or if you live in a group environment such as a detention center or nursing home.
These guidelines may seem a bit complicated, and here’s some nuance. Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious disease expert and head of the Vaccine Research Group of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, remarked on March 10, “You have to consider individual circumstances.”
For example, where one person is less at risk, someone else who is older, undergoing or undergoing chemotherapy, may be at higher risk – even if vaccinated – and should be treated more carefully.
Poland also said that in the example of inviting someone to your home for a social gathering, not everyone may be ‘willing to disclose their private information to you’. Because health information is private, some people may not want to communicate whether they have been vaccinated or that they have certain risk factors that may not be obvious, even though it may be safer to do so. So keep in mind that you may not know the status of everyone you come in contact with.
In such cases, it is best to assume that individuals are not fully vaccinated, and keep distance.
[READ: Myths About COVID-19 Vaccines.]
What you need to keep doing
As the new recommendations have indicated, you can now largely feel safe meeting with other people who have been fully vaccinated. But there are many things that have not changed in this new advice.
The CDC still recommends taking steps to protect yourself from infection with the new coronavirus and others by:
– Wear a mask when you are in public.
– Avoid or delay travel. “Spring holiday travel is not a good idea,” Poland said.
Stay at least 6 feet away from others outside your household.
– Avoid crowds.
– Avoid poorly ventilated areas.
– Avoid meeting indoors with unvaccinated people from more than one household. Wear a mask when you come in contact with people from whom you do not have an immune status.
“Your public behavior needs to remain largely unchanged,” Laird says. “Keep wearing a mask, stay physically far away and avoid large gatherings and crowded places.”
Poland said that although the new guidelines help to clarify what is safer to do in the context of full vaccination – meaning it is 14 days or longer after the final survey – there is no situation in which there is no risk not.
These guidelines are the “CDC’s first step toward normalcy, and balance the value of social interaction and family interactions in which many of us were not involved.” He added that achieving immunity through vaccination is not going to be like a light switch, and suddenly you can now do whatever you want. Instead, be vigilant and watch out for others.
He also noted that the recommendations are ‘scientifically’ based, meaning that they were developed with the latest evidence built-in. Given our understanding of how protective these vaccines are against the new variants and other information that comes to light, expect the guidelines to be adjusted accordingly.
It is still not clear how effective the vaccines are against the variants. How long immunity lasts against the currently available vaccines is another open question. These concerns are carefully investigated.
As scientists learn more about whether the vaccines can counteract the variants and how long you are covered by the current vaccines, you may need to get extra shots or enhancers to maintain immunity or to counteract new strains of the coronavirus. This crisis is still developing, and although there are many promises to return to a more normal life soon, many public health authorities have noted that we are likely to deal with the fallout in the next few years.
[READ: Should You Be Double-Masking?]
Even if fully vaccinated, you can still spread the virus
It is also important to note that even if you have been fully vaccinated, ‘you need to make sure that you can transmit the virus to others,’ says Laird. This means that “if you are going to be close to someone who has not been vaccinated and who is at high risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms, you should still wear a mask and stay physically far away.”
As for when we can expect things to return to normal, says Sonpal, “in (Anthony) Fauci we trust. He has his finger on the pulse, and he will know when the time is right” to lift restrictions and back to return to life as normal. “I personally believe we will reach that point, but there may still be some parameters. I think, for example, that flights need masks forever. And I think that’s a brilliant idea.”
Laird agrees that listening to public health authorities is the key to knowing when we can take the next step toward normal life. “Just keep the public mask and distance yourself after vaccination until public health authorities declare the transfer at low enough levels to abandon this tactic. Remember that masks and physical distance can make our economy and communities thrive – and that it can costly closures and cancellations. prevent. . “
Finally, if it is your turn, you will get the vaccine. “Whatever vaccine you may get, you must take it with both hands,” says Sonpal. While this will not give you a false sense of security, the sooner we are all vaccinated and reach our herd immunity – about 60% to 80% of the population being vaccinated – the faster we can loosen additional restrictions.
“The science is clear,” Laird adds. “We have a safe, effective vaccine developed through a heroic effort, and we can now save the lives of our fellow Americans and bring our own lives and economy back to normal. Stocks are increasing, so be patient. “while the spread is increasing – but if it’s your turn, you need to be vaccinated. Every doctor and scientist I know personally has been vaccinated, including myself. Get your advice on vaccination from medical and public health experts – not social media.”