What to do safely after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine? The experts weigh.

If you’ve just received the coronavirus vaccine and your mind is buzzing with all the things you can potentially do now that you have some protection against COVID-19, that’s certainly understandable.

This year has been incredibly difficult and we have given up a lot. We were not able to go out safely with our friends and family. We have canceled weddings and parties. Travel plans have been postponed and birthdays and holidays have been unusually quiet. Naturally, hitting the arm is going to spark some pent-up excitement about being able to enjoy all the things you’ve been missing.

So what can you do now? Well, it’s complicated. IIn general, evaluating the safety of an activity after being vaccinated is not that simple. For the most part, very little has changed for those who are vaccinated.

Experts point out that it’s a bit early to say you can resume a pre-pandemic lifestyle, especially since so many other people are still unvaccinated. Herd immunity, when 70% or more of the population is immune to the disease, is the main target of “normality”.

The vaccines are very effective against the virus causing hospitalization and death, which is great, but it’s not the only thing to consider right now. Pgroundbreaking research indicates that vaccines can reduce transmission, but more evidence is needed.

All this means that no activity is entirely risk-free at the moment. However, with the right precautions, some of your favorite activities might be a bit safer, according to experts. But there are other vital factors you need to keep in mind as we go through the rest of the pandemic.

Before noting the safety of various post-vaccination activities, there are a few important caveats that should be noted.

First, you want to look at community transmission. If the cases are extremely high in your area, some activities (like eating indoors) will be much riskier compared to an area with minimal COVID-19 activity.

Second, you should always assess your personal risk. We should all continue to wear masks and maintain physical distance. If you have any underlying health issues that make you more vulnerable to COVID-19 or if you live with someone who has it, it will be essential to continue to apply proven safety precautions. Keep in mind that 1 in 20 will not be protected even after being vaccinated.

Finally, emerging evidence has shown us that even mild cases can lead to devastating long-term symptoms that persist for months or even years. This goes for people who are otherwise healthy and might even include people who asymptomatic infection. So while the vaccine protects most people from serious illness, there are many unanswered questions about what to expect for people who contract a mild to moderate case of COVID-19 after being vaccinated.

Hanging out with other people who have been vaccinated, just watching this case on your own is probably low risk.

“If you are meeting with people who you know are vaccinated and who are given two doses, you probably don’t need to wear a mask because even if for some reason you were an asymptomatic carrier and you give it to them, it’s likely that they get really sick is going to be weak, ”said Krysia Lindan, professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California at San Francisco.

However, it gets complicated when you factor in other people. It is important to consider the health of everyone involved, said Chris thompson, immunologist and associate professor of biology in the biology department at Loyola University in Maryland.

For example, if everyone is really healthy it might be less risky, but if someone has “underlying complications why risk it?” Thompson said.

The same goes for spending time indoors with friends or family members. who have not been vaccinated. It is certainly more risky. If you are vaccinated, you are less likely to get the infection, but you are still at risk of unknowingly passing it on to others.

“You take risks. It’s less than it used to be, but I wouldn’t be a fan of it, ”Lindan said.

Although a few small studies suggested that vaccines reduce transmission, we really don’t know if you can still spread it, Thompson said.

Most infectious disease experts agree that indoor meals are always risky because the coronavirus is an airborne illness (meaning it can stay aloft for hours and be inhaled). Although the risk of getting sick drops dramatically after getting vaccinated, there is still a world you can go out to eat and catch COVID-19 in.

In general, eating out is much safer than eating inside. (When we say outside, we mean entirely outside – not a closed outside structure.) Being inside, unmasked and close to other people speaking and laughing, invites the opportunity for the virus to spread.

If you choose to eat indoors after receiving the vaccine, wear a mask when you are not actively eating and avoid crowded places, Lindan said. If you’re older and at risk for serious illness from COVID-19, it’s probably not a good idea to take off your mask and start eating indoors near unvaccinated or unvaccinated strangers.

Thompson said it was wise to adhere to the same standards in place for unvaccinated people. The risk of getting sick will be less, but if you have to fly, wear a good mask and maybe even a face shield. “None of that really changes,” Thompson said.

We do not know how long does immunity last after vaccination and, remember, not everyone who has been vaccinated will develop immunity. Airports and public toilets are considered more dangerous than airplanes, which have excellent air filtration.

Public transport also carries a risk of exposure to the aerosolized virus. The risk decreases after vaccination, especially for healthy people, but you could still spread the virus in these confined spaces. It is not known how often buses, subways and carpooling cars are disinfected, and these public transport services usually have poor ventilation, so masks are a must, whether you have been vaccinated or not.

Lindan said that after being vaccinated “it could feel a lot safer” to have a haircut, assuming staff and other customers were also wearing masks. Trade fairs were considered a high-risk environment, but combined with a good face shield, the vaccine helps lower your risk (but, again, the risk is not zero).

Work at a Gym still worries disease specialists because a number of epidemics traced to fitness studios.

“It’s a place where people breathe heavily and potentially exhale viruses, and you yourself would,” said Lindan, who strongly suggests wearing a mask and staying away from others if you are going. to the gym.

The risk here is primarily for the dentist, not the patient, Lindan explained. If the dentist wears the right protective equipment and there is good ventilation, the risk of transmission is low. “It’s probably good to go get your teeth cleaned,” Lindan said.

The same is generally true for other doctor’s appointments. Don’t put off important screenings (some experts fear the pandemic could lead to more undetected health problems). Here’s a quick guide on what to do on certain doctor visits.

The harsh truth is that scientists really don’t know how safe these activities will be for people who have been vaccinated right now. This is why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging people to continue to wear masks until herd immunity is established and cases begin to decline significantly.

Getting the vaccine means you’ve done your part to slow the spread of COVID-19, but it doesn’t give you a free pass just now. If we all get the hang of it when it’s our turn and keep our masks on a bit longer, we can knock out COVID-19 relatively quickly.

Getting vaccinated is “a big step forward to go beyond that,” said Thompson, “but we’re going to go beyond that as a community, not as individuals.

Experts are still learning about COVID-19. The information in this story is what was known or available at the time of publication, but directions may change as scientists find out more about the virus. Please consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most recent recommendations.