Millions of Americans are vaccinated with the two-dose COVID-19 mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, and both are remarkably effective in protecting against coronavirus. But getting protection against photos takes time.
If you receive the Pfizer vaccine, you will have to wait three weeks between the first dose and the second dose or as close to this interval as possible. If you receive the Moderna vaccine, you will have to wait four weeks between photos. (And for both, you are not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks have passed after the second dose.)
So what’s going on between them? Can you get COVID-19 infection? And what are you doing about it? Here’s what you need to know.
Yes, it is certainly possible to get COVID-19 after your first shot.
You may be thrilled to receive the first dose of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and that is understandable. Vaccines are considered miraculous because of how quickly they were developed, as well as because of their effectiveness.
But it takes time for your immune system to start getting an answer, and experts are still not entirely clear exactly how much protection people have after a single blow. Current studies suggest that a single dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine is approximately 80% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection approximately two weeks after the first shot.
“It certainly can and does happen,” said Paul Pottinger, an infectious disease expert at the University of Washington, referring to the possibility of becoming infected between doses. Remember, we even see COVID-19 infections in patients who have been completely immunized, which means a solid two to five weeks after the second dose of immunization or mRNA.
Researchers have known about this possibility from the beginning. Pottinger pointed out that initial clinical trials for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines showed that both were approximately 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 after both photos. But some of the vaccine recipients who became ill during the studies were between the two doses.
What I would say is that if people are worried about catching COVID-19 in the middle of their damn immunization process, Pottinger added. “They should be concerned about this because they are not yet protected.”
But you should be very well protected against severe illness and death.
Researchers and healthcare providers are practically allergic to absolute terms when it comes to talking about anything to do with human health and medicine, so you will never hear anyone say that something is 100%. But a single blow to mRNA vaccines seems to be nearing perfection in terms of preventing hospitalization and death.
“People who received the first dose are dramatic well protected against hospitalization or death, ”Pottinger said.
“In the studies, no one who was vaccinated died. Obviously, in the real world, we have many, many more people, but they are still extremely effective in preventing severe disease and death, ”added Valerie Cluzet, a doctor for infectious diseases and medical director for infection control and antibiotics at Nuvance Health. .
“It’s certainly true after the second dose, but probably after the first dose,” she said.
If you are taking COVID-19 between doses, you should still receive the second dose – but the timing will probably be different.
Whatever it is, you should still plan to get the second shot. That’s because, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains, experts still don’t really know how long people are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19 – and reinfection is possible.
However, experts know a little more about how long vaccines protect you. Current evidence suggests that people who receive Pfizer or Moderna vaccines receive robust protection for at least six months (and counting).
That being said, if you get COVID-19 between doses, the timing of the second shot may change slightly. First, you should not plan to get vaccinated until you meet the criteria set by the CDC to end your isolation. This is partly to keep others safe while you should be in quarantine. But it is also to give your body the best shot in developing a robust immune response.
“You have to wait until you get over the acute illness. You really want to give the immune system the best possible chance to respond to the vaccine, ”said Cluzet.
You could also opt for a temporary delay in vaccination, while consumption does remain on demand.
“The CDC said that as long as you are allowed to leave home, you can be immunized on time or as close to the schedule as possible, but because this is such a valuable resource, the CDC has asked us to consider delaying second dose 30 days after the onset of symptoms, because this allows other people to be immunized … it’s a courtesy for our fellow citizens, “Pottinger explained.
It is important to continue to disguise yourself and keep your social distance.
Again, even after you have been completely immunized, “vaccine discoveries” are to be expected. This is one of the reasons why some recommendations for fully vaccinated people have changed (such as the ability to congregate with other vaccinated people without masks), while others have not wavered.
It is still important for everyone to disguise themselves and maintain their social distance. If you are vaccinated, you should continue to do these things, unless you are in a private place with other vaccinated people or another low-risk, unvaccinated household. If you are not yet vaccinated, get any vaccine available to you whenever it is available to you.
“We are learning more and more that vaccines also prevent transmission, so not only do you protect yourself, but you also protect others,” Cluzet said. “It’s personal health, but it’s also public health.”