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Syracuse, NY – A year after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Americans are eager to return to normal life. A pair of Covid-19 vaccines approved last month promises we may be able to do so soon.
But it will be months before anyone who wants a vaccine can get one, and before America achieves “herd immunity,” when enough of us have had the vaccine or the disease that the virus has trouble finding new people to infect.
So what happens in the meantime? If you get the sequence of two shots for the vaccines, can you get back to that long-awaited normal life? We spoke with two of central New York City’s leading infectious disease experts – Dr Helen Jacoby from St. Joseph’s Health and Dr Stephen Thomas from Upstate Medical University – what the vaccine will allow you to do and what that he will not do.
Once I have received the vaccine, can I take off my mask and stop social distancing?
No.
“Until further notice, people must continue with the public health interventions that we try to encourage: practice masking, don’t congregate and, if you are sick, stay home,” said Thomas, who was the principal investigator of the Pfizer vaccine. the first to be published. “It won’t be: ‘I have proof of vaccination on my phone or I have my yellow card, and I can now move around without a mask.'”
That’s because it’s still unclear whether people who have been vaccinated can transmit the virus unknowingly, Jacoby said. The main reason for a vaccine is to keep people from getting sick and overwhelming hospitals. The outright prevention of infection is a much higher bar and is much more difficult to test.
“We know that the currently licensed vaccines are very effective in preventing symptomatic illnesses, but what we don’t know for sure is how effective they are in preventing asymptomatic infections or your ability to catch the virus, to feel good and give it to someone else. Jacoby said. “We don’t think it’s safe for people who have been vaccinated to go out and act as if Covid never happened.”
Thomas hopes vaccines will stop people from spreading the disease, but that remains to be investigated.
“I will say that the way these vaccines are supposed to work, it is highly possible that an effective vaccine could impact a person’s ability to transmit to another person,” he said.
How long will we have to maintain the mask wearing and the distance? It could take months, or even until 2022. It depends on how quickly people get vaccinated and how effective the vaccines are.
Can I see my grandchild after receiving the vaccine?
It’s a personal judgment, Jacoby says. The two vaccines that have gained emergency approval are about 95% effective in preventing people from getting sick – not a guarantee, but a big step forward.
“Visiting this grandchild can become a lot safer,” Jacoby said. “You would be much less likely to get sick if you caught Covid from this grandchild. For those personal things, it makes a person’s life more secure.
Can I visit grandfather in the retirement home?
It will ultimately depend on state regulations, individual nursing home policies and families’ comfort level, Jacoby said.
Even when visitors are allowed, she said, families should remember that the vaccine will not be as effective for nursing home residents as it will be for younger, healthier people. The Covid-19 vaccine, like those against the flu and other illnesses, works by causing the body’s immune system to produce antibodies. Older people have weaker immune systems which are just not as prolific at producing antibodies.
“The thing, especially in nursing homes, is that the vaccine may not work as well in very old people, ”Jacoby said. “We know they work, but it might not be the 95% efficiency we’ve heard about.”
Do I still have to quarantine if I go out of state or get exposed?
Yes, because, again, health officials do not yet know if you can transmit the virus without knowing it.
“None of the rules have changed for people who have been vaccinated,” Jacoby said. “At St. Joseph’s, we have vaccinated a large percentage of our employees, but they are expected to follow the same precautions as if they had not been vaccinated. They have to wear masks and face shields, they have to distance themselves socially at lunch; if they travel they must follow the same rules and if they are exposed they must be quarantined. “
If I have had Covid-19, do I still need the vaccine?
Yes. Thomas said that while having had Covid-19 gives some resistance to the disease, it is not yet clear how strong that resistance is or how long it will last. People who were sicker with Covid-19 had stronger immune responses and may have greater immunity than those who had a mild case of the disease, he said. In addition, people were infected twice.
The vaccine also appears to protect people better than if they had the disease, Jacoby said.
“We believe that the vaccine confers better immunity than a natural infection,” she said. “People who have had Covid should get vaccinated.”
Jacoby said you should wait until you are completely cured of the disease and then receive the vaccine within 90 days.
Will the vaccine last a lifetime or will I need it every year?
Covid-19 is only one year old, so it is too early to know how long the vaccine lasts. It probably won’t be like the measles vaccine, which provides lifelong immunity after a sequence of two injections in childhood. The Covid-19 vaccine probably won’t be needed every year either, because the coronavirus does not mutate as quickly as the flu virus, Jacoby said. The Covid-19 vaccine could fall somewhere in between, like tetanus, she said, which requires a booster every 10 years.
“I’m not planning an annual injection, but are we going to need a booster every two or three years?” she said. “It’s something we don’t know at this point.”
Pfizer is conducting a two-year study on the efficacy of the vaccine, she said, so we’ll know more at the end of this review.
MORE ABOUT CORONAVIRUS
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