Got a COVID-19 vaccine? Don’t ditch mask, experts say
More than 380,000 Floridians have gotten their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, a key step in the state’s plan to stop the spread of the coronavirus as numbers reach new highs. Of those Floridians, about 15,000 have completed the second in their two-shot series.
But getting the in-demand vaccine doesn’t mean you’re in the clear.
Public health experts say social distancing, hand washing and mask wearing are crucial parts of stopping the spread — and that includes post-vaccine.
Mary Jo Trepka, an infectious disease epidemiologist and professor at Florida International University, said this is because the vaccine was tested for its ability to prevent symptomatic coronavirus cases. So it’s a possibility, she said, that you could still shed the virus through your nose if you were exposed to it.
The clinical trials for both COVID-19 vaccines did not test to determine the percentage of vaccinated people who can remain asymptomatic but still acquire and then transmit the infection to others.
Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two doses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends those who get the first dose get the second one, too, even if the person experiences side effects after the first shot — unless a doctor advises otherwise.
Dr. Aileen Marty, a professor of infectious diseases at FIU and public health advisor to Miami-Dade County, said those who get vaccinated can keep others safe by properly wearing a mask in public afterward.
She said the CDC and World Health Organization recommend mask wearing as long as the pandemic continues, and until more than 75% of the population has been vaccinated.
“The use of a facial covering ... is not a substitute for social distancing,” Marty added. “Masks should still be worn in addition to staying at least six feet apart, especially when indoors around people who don’t live in your household.”
The CDC also warns that even after the second shot, it’s possible that you won’t be protected for the virus for up to two weeks.
Getting the vaccine will help reduce transmission, too, but experts don’t yet know to what extent. Because of that, people should continue to wear masks, social distance and monitor symptoms, Trepka said.
Richard Sutton, an infectious disease specialist at the Yale University School of Medicine, wrote in an email that while advice may be updated as more is known about the vaccine’s effects in real-world scenarios, “the party line at the moment is even for those who have received the vaccine, they should continue to wear masks and socially distance.”
“It’s best, despite some folks getting vaccinated, that everyone follows the same, simple rules until the coast is clear,” Sutton said.
Florida’s COVID-19 cases have been surging over the past weeks. On Thursday, the Department of Health added 19,816 new confirmed cases to its tally, a new daily record. Additionally, at least 22 cases of the mutated and likely more contagious strain of the novel coronavirus have been detected in Florida.
The more the virus spreads, the more chances there are to mutate, which is dangerous, Dr. Patria Rojas, a public health expert at FIU, said.
“That is why it’s important to detain its spread,” he wrote in an email.
The best way to prevent and stop the spread is to get vaccinated, experts say.
Randal Levenson, 74, of Pinecrest, got his first dose of the vaccine Wednesday morning. He said that even after his second dose, he plans to wear a mask and keep his circle close — advice he remembers hearing from Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the United States.
“If that’s what Fauci says, that’s what I should be doing,” he said.