While these developments mark a historic moment and hold many promises, that doesn’t mean Americans can stop wearing masks soon. CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen, emergency physician and visiting professor at George Washington University, Milken Institute School of Public Health, explains why.
CNN: Does the vaccine protect people from taking COVID-19? If so, why do I have to wear another mask?
Wen: This is a good question! It is important to be clear about what we know and what we do not know about what the vaccine does. What we do know is that the Pfizer vaccine is very effective in preventing symptomatic and severe diseases. This means that the vaccine seems to prevent people from getting sick enough to develop symptoms and, very importantly, it prevents people from getting so seriously ill that they end up in the hospital. This is really great news.
Here’s what the studies don’t show yet. They did not forget if the vaccine prevents someone from carrying COVID-19 and spreading it to others. It is possible for someone to receive the vaccine, but it can still be an asymptomatic carrier. They may have no symptoms, but they have the virus in the nasal passage, so if they talk, breathe, sneeze and so on, they can pass it on to others.
This is the main reason why we cannot stop wearing masks immediately after receiving the vaccine. The vaccine will protect you from the disease and then get you hospitalized. But you may still be able to carry the virus and be contagious to others. So, those who receive the vaccine should still wear masks and practice physical distance.
RELATED: US carefully analyzes variant of coronavirus that has triggered alarms in the UK, says Fauci
CNN: Does that mean we’re going to have to wear masks in public from now on?
Wen: No, not forever, but for a while longer. It is estimated that about 70% of Americans should be vaccinated before the herd can be vaccinated. This is the point where enough people have immune protection to keep the virus from spreading.
This means that about 230 million Americans must receive the vaccine. It will take time to produce so many vaccines – and remember that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are two-dose vaccines, so you need twice the number of doses as humans. The vaccine must then be effectively distributed and administered to humans. If all goes well, the best estimates are that it will be the end of spring or the beginning of summer for most Americans to receive the vaccine. At that point, we could probably see each other without masks – but not before.
CNN: Can this timeline be accelerated?
Wen: Already, the development of the vaccine has gone with incredible speed. The fastest vaccine that was developed before this pandemic was four years old. We now have an authorized vaccine in less than a year.
How quickly we reach the immunity of the herd will depend on the production, distribution and availability of the American people to get the vaccine. There is concern that many Americans may not get the vaccine even if it is available. We need to have a careful public education campaign, adapted to different communities.
And we need everyone’s help! When it’s your turn, please get the vaccine. Help spread the word and convince your family and friends of the importance of the vaccine in saving lives and ending this pandemic.
SEE ALSO: Find out how many people can get a COVID-19 vaccine before you
Interactive does not display correctly? Click here to open in a new window.
CNN: What about people who can’t get the vaccine? Do I still have to wear masks?
Wen: For now, everyone still needs to wear masks. There will be a small number of people who cannot receive vaccines. At first, children will not be able to receive vaccines because they have not yet been tested on children. There may also be some medical conditions that make some people unable to receive the vaccine or make the vaccine less effective for them. That’s why the rest of us need to get vaccinated to protect them. Effective immunity is also called community immunity: the community is vaccinated to protect everyone.
That’s why we continue to wear masks. We do it to protect ourselves and to protect others. Remember that even after we receive the vaccine, we can spread the virus to others. The vaccine is also very effective, but it is not 100%. The mask still protects you.
CNN: Would you continue to wear a mask after receiving the vaccine?
Wen: Yes. I will do it to protect others and to protect myself. Here’s another way to think about the importance of wearing a mask. The vaccine protects you if the virus reaches your nose and mouth. Your body senses the virus, and instead of the virus attacking your body, your body’s immune system begins and gets rid of the virus.
It is very important to prevent the virus from reaching your body in the first place. Wearing a mask does that. So is physical distancing. These are really important measures to prevent the onset of coronavirus and its transmission to others.
You will certainly see masked clothing among health care workers, who will be among the first groups to receive the vaccine. The vaccine is an important layer of protection for us, but we will use these other measures to protect ourselves and those around us.
CNN: With the number of COVID cases at an all-time high in the United States, the vaccine could not come too soon. With only a small percentage of the US population receiving the vaccine to begin with, however, it seems that most people will not directly enjoy the benefits of this first release, right?
Wen: Absolutely. It is amazing that we have a vaccine that seems 95% effective and very safe. We will be able to end the pandemic. But this will take time. The initial allocation of vaccines will reach just over 1% of the population. It will take a long time to reach 70%.
We need everyone to continue to follow the precautions we’ve been talking about all along: wear a mask. Keep your physical distance. Avoid indoor gatherings. Wash your hands.
I’ll add one more: get the vaccine when it’s your turn. We can get over this winter, and spring and summer promise us so much.
The-CNN-Wire ™ and © 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia company. All rights reserved.
The video in the media player above was used in a previous report.