Will we still have to wear masks after the COVID vaccine?

As much as we miss the Before Times –when we didn’t have to wear masks and could go to crowded places and Travel and throw parties, attend concerts, and eat at the same table as acquaintances and strangers – these times are not coming back anytime soon. No matter how good the vaccine news is, hold on to your masks.

Eventually we may be able to get rid of it, but don’t expect a return to pre-pandemic normal in a year or two. Here’s why:

We do not know if the vaccine prevents transmission

Efficacy data so far suggests that the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine (the first COVID vaccine authorized in the United States) and Moderna’s (likely to become the second) are effective in preventing people from getting sick.

But we don’t know if the vaccine keeps you from getting infected with the virus or if it just stops the infection from making you sick. He’s likely to do both, but we just don’t have enough information to say.

So if you get the vaccine, you may still be able to pass the coronavirus to others. Even if you are one of the lucky people who have already received the vaccine, you should still wear a mask when you are with other people.

Not everyone can get the vaccine

Currently, stocks are so limited that only a handful of people can get vaccinated. (His be given first health care workers and residents of health care facilities such as nursing homes; other high risk people will follow.)

But even when more doses are available, not everyone will receive the vaccine. Some people might choose not to. Some people might have a health reason that they can’t, such as an allergy to an ingredient in the vaccine.

And, above all, the vaccine is authorized for children. The Pfizer vaccine is for people 16 years of age and older, and the Moderna vaccine is for people 18 years and older. No manufacturer has yet performed large-scale trials on children.

Children and many adolescents will therefore have to wear masks for some time. Even though children don’t tend to get very sick, they can still spread the virus –probably less often than adults, but research is ongoing. Children make up over 20% of the U.S. population, so until they can be vaccinated, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve herd immunity.

During this interim period, when not everyone is vaccinated, expect gatherings and travel to be cautious., with mask rules still in place. It is unlikely that anyone will or can check medical records at concerts, parties or family reunions, distancing and masks will likely still be needed in many settings until cases of COVID abate.

Masks are good, actually

Before COVID, there was a kind of stigma to wearing a face mask in public. Honestly, I was not sure at first if the Americans would be able to embrace the trend. But masks have been popular in Asia for years, and they’re not just for pandemics.

Masks help you avoid spreading your germs if you have a standard problem cold or flu, and that’s how they last a long time been used in Asia. Plus, they can come in handy in other situations, like keeping your nose warm when a scarf falls off.

So even if the vaccine deploys quickly, and even if it is safe for everyone, and even if that proves effective in preventing transmission, we will wear masks for COVID prevention for at least a little while. And after that, they will still be useful.