Coronavirus vaccines are the light at the end of a very dark tunnel – a pandemic that has killed 2 million people worldwide and more than 420,000 in the United States alone.
The good news and the bad news: Although the light may be closer as more people get vaccinated, the end of the tunnel is still a long way off – even for those who have received a vaccine.
In the United States, more than 3 million Americans have received two doses of any of the vaccines since Monday afternoon, according to data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
These are primarily adults living or working in long-term care facilities and health care employees who have received priority access to the vaccine in all states.
Both vaccines last at least two weeks after receiving the second dose to build up an immune response. Pfizer / BioNTech PFE,
BNTX,
the vaccine provides 95% efficacy while Modern MRNA,
the vaccine provides 94% efficacy, according to late studies.
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A person who has been vaccinated still has the ability to contract coronavirus, although it is more likely to be asymptomatic.
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These efficacy rates for both vaccines mean that 94% are not seriously ill, said Dr. William Schaffner, a CDC advisor and infectious disease specialist. “It’s a great success.”
With flu vaccines, he said, “We are not getting close to success. Year after year, it is about 45% [effective]. ”
Does this mean that the 3 million vaccinated Americans can safely return to life pre-COVID two weeks after receiving the second dose?
Not realy.
A person who has been vaccinated still has the ability to contract coronavirus, although it is more likely to be asymptomatic, according to preliminary data. Dr. Thomas Russo, head of infectious diseases at Buffalo University in New York, said it is not yet clear whether those vaccinated people will be able to pass them on to others.
That’s why Russo, who received the second dose of Pfizer vaccine on Jan. 5, said he feels comfortable interacting only with people who are also at least two weeks fully vaccinated in non-masked environments.
“I would go to dinner with my vaccinated friends because the likelihood of us being infected is low,” he said.
Does the difference in effectiveness between Pfizer and Moderna vaccines matter?
The 0.5% difference in efficacy rates is “meaningless,” said Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious disease expert and director of the vaccine research group at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
But a potential game changer could be Johnson & Johnson JNJ,
vaccine expected to receive approval to use the emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration in the coming weeks.
The company is expected to release data from Phase 3 studies this week, which will reveal the effectiveness of its single-dose vaccine.
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have low risks of dangerous side effects. There were 10 cases of anaphylaxis among the approximately 4 million doses administered between December 21 and January 10, the CDC reported.
I still have to wear a mask, even after I have been completely vaccinated?
Even if you have been completely vaccinated, it is important to continue wearing a face mask and practicing social distancing in public settings, such as supermarkets, restaurants, and transportation, where you are likely to meet more people who have not been vaccinated and it could get potentially infected by you.
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Even if you have been completely vaccinated, it is important to continue wearing a face mask and practicing social distancing in public settings.
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Do not wear a mask around older relatives and in public places even if you have been completely vaccinated. “It creates uncertainty and stress for other people, because I don’t know if you have been vaccinated,” Russo told MarketWatch.
If I was vaccinated, can I eat in restaurants now?
Because meals do not wear masks inside restaurants, there is a greater chance that you or someone else will come in contact with respiratory drops that can transmit coronavirus.
Outdoor dining is considerably safer than indoor dining, say health experts, because virus-containing drops have more room to disperse. It may also be easier to space tables more than six feet outdoors.
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“None of us should be there,” Russo said of the indoor restaurants
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Russo said he would continue to avoid meals indoors because he could spread the virus to another person who is not vaccinated or is only partially vaccinated.
“None of us should be there,” Russo said of the indoor restaurants.
That being said, if future studies show that fully vaccinated people cannot transmit the virus, Russo would reconsider eating inside.
Is it OK to get on a plane?
Domestic flights on average were 25% cheaper last year than in 2019, according to data from the Hopper travel website. But prices are expected to rise later this year as more people are vaccinated, according to travel experts.
If you have been completely vaccinated, it is not necessary to give up travel theft. In fact, Russo did not cancel a cruise trip he and his wife booked two years ago, which is set to take place in late August this year.
He would feel comfortable going on a trip if his wife was also completely vaccinated and everyone else on board was completely vaccinated and tested before leaving.
However, Poland recommends that you do not travel, as it may speed up the spread of coronavirus. “It’s like fuel on fire,” he told MarketWatch.
Can I visit my grandparents now that I’m vaccinated?
Coronavirus has disproportionately affected the elderly, especially those living in long-term care facilities. Their documented vulnerability and susceptibility to coronavirus contracting and potential death is why they receive priority access to the vaccine in the United States and other parts of the world.
As a result, many health care facilities during the pandemic peaked visitors and people stopped interacting personally with the elderly. As a result, the elderly during the pandemic experienced unprecedented rates of social isolation, which were shown to increase the risk of developing dementia.
If you and an elderly friend or relative have been fully vaccinated, “the benefits of the visit will outweigh these small risks of developing a severe case of coronavirus,” Russo told MarketWatch.
Ashley Ritter, a geriatric nurse and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania School of Health, also said she would feel more comfortable visiting her father, who is immunocompromised and recently received a kidney transplant once she is completely vaccinated.
She is due to receive her second dose of Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday. But Ritter, who also serves as chief clinical officer and vice president of the scientific communication project Dear Pandemic, will not visit him until he is fully vaccinated for two weeks.
“I haven’t seen him in so many months, so it will be much more comfortable to be in his company,” she said. She and her father still plan to wear masks next to each other to make sure they don’t inadvertently become asymptomatically infected.
Ultimately, the return to normal is based on vaccinating as many people as possible, Ritter said. Healthcare professionals say that a vaccination rate of 70% to 80% would be close to producing immunity to the herd, if those who have the vaccine help prevent those who are not vaccinated from contracting the virus.