The day has finally come. You have received the second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine currently on the Western market.
Does that mean you are free to go about life as you did before the pandemic once immunity kicks in?
Sorry, there is no immunity passport yet, experts say. There are still safety precautions you need to follow in order to keep you, your loved ones, and everyone else safe and protected from the deadly Coronavirus.
Read on for answers from the experts on top questions such as when can you stop wearing a mask, eat inside a restaurant, travel, go to sporting events and concerts, and freely visit friends and family.
Let’s “face” it: The answer is no. Try to think of a face mask as your new best friend, one that you plan to cherish and appreciate for a good, long time. Here are five reasons why.
1) It is not 100% protection. Even the best of the currently available vaccines only offer up to 95% protection when you are fully immunized. That means there is a 5% chance you can catch the novel coronavirus at any time.
2) Everyone’s different. Some people are going to mount more robust immune responses to both rounds of the Covid-19 vaccination than others. That is one of the key reasons experts are insisting everyone receive the second shot of the vaccine within a key time frame.
“In looking at Phase 1, and Phase 2 data, what I saw with a single dose is some people had high levels of virus-neutralizing antibody, others were nonresponders,” said vaccine scientist Dr. Peter Hotez, professor and dean at the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
“So the major reason for the second dose is to get everybody to respond. If you just get a single dose, you don’t really know where you stand,” Hotez said.
Remember, it can take two to three weeks after you get the second shot before your immunity fully kicks in.
3) A moving target. As is typical with viruses, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is mutating around the world -creating variants that are proving to be more contagious than those the US is currently battling.
Experts are already warning that antibodies from a prior case of Covid-19 will not protect against being reinfected with a variant from South Africa.
There is also a possibility that the current vaccines will not fully protect against the new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. That is being studied feverishly right now, so stay tuned.
4) You could be a silent spreader. “We don’t yet know whether being vaccinated means that you’re no longer a carrier of coronavirus. That is, fully immunized people may still be able to spread Covid-19 to others,” said CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor at George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.
“It’s possible that someone could get the vaccine but could still be an asymptomatic carrier,” Wen says. “They may not show symptoms, but they have the virus in their nasal passageway so that if they’re speaking, breathing, sneezing, and so on, they can still transmit it to others.”
5) Will immunity last? Researchers do not yet know just how long the immunity given by the current vaccines – such as it is – will last. There is a possibility that booster doses may be needed in the months or years to come. So until more is known about how long the protection lasts – and against which variants – stay safe and protect others by wearing a mask.
That depends on everyone’s vaccine status, experts say. If friends or other members of your family have also received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, the risk is greatly reduced, especially if the visit is outdoors.
“It’s probably pretty safe to see others who were also vaccinated, after everyone gets both doses and waits a few weeks,” Wen said.
However, if the visit is indoors, “there is going to be some level of risk,” Wen said, especially with the current spread of more contagious variants and the less than 100% efficacy of today’s vaccines.
“That risk will be much lower than if you were not vaccinated, but the risk is still going to be there to you, and you could still be a risk to the unvaccinated members of your family, as you could be an asymptomatic carrier who transmits to them,” Wen said.
“If you really want to spend time with the grandkids indoors, the safest way to do this is still for everyone to quarantine for at least 10 days and lower their risk during these 10 days,” Wen said. “Quarantining for seven days and a negative test is an option too, but everyone also has to do the quarantine — a negative test alone is not enough.”
And again, just because you have been vaccinated, that does not reduce your responsibility. You should continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing whenever you are around others.
Indoor restaurants are likely hotspots for Covid-19 transmission. That is partly because no one is wearing a mask while they eat, thus spreading their respiratory droplets around as they socialize.
The other reason? Most restaurants do not have HEPA filters or other filtration equipment on their circulation systems, leaving the air poorly ventilated and a prime breeding ground for virus spread.
“I think the 6 feet indoors is not enough by itself,” said Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, who has been studying Covid-19 transmission. “You have to have good ventilation in that bar or restaurant,” said Marr.
“HEPA filters reduce the amount of virus in the background air, but most transmission takes place in these close contact type of scenarios where you’re near someone that’s infected and they’re spreading lots of virus. The HEPA filter doesn’t help with that,” she said.
“Once vaccinated, an outdoor sporting event or concert is probably safe, if there is good social distancing between households and everyone is wearing masks,” Wen said. “Indoors, crowded gatherings are probably still best to avoid even if you’re vaccinated.”
“I want to emphasize that now is not the time to be traveling, internationally or domestically, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC’s new director.
And that applies to people who have already been vaccinated, added Fauci. “Getting vaccinated does not say now I have a free pass to travel,” he says. “Nor does it say that I have a free pass to put aside all of the public health measures that we talk about all the time.”
“I mean, if you absolutely have to travel and it’s essential, then obviously, one would have to do that. But we don’t want people to think because they got vaccinated, then other public health recommendations just don’t apply,” Fauci said.
That is why we are so excited about our new ActivePure device at Fit Factor! NASA originally developed this air filter, and it is scientifically proven to eliminate, bacteria, mold, and fungus on both surfaces and in the air. As air passes through the matrix, the molecules are supercharged and they seek out and destroy contaminants, fungus, mold, and odor-causing bacteria, even the ones that tried to hide in hard-to-reach places.
Research has proven that it reduces 99.99% of viruses and bacteria in the air and on surfaces. ActivePure works immediately, and it has also shown a 99.9% reduction of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in just 3 minutes. It is also a 2017 Space Technology Hall of Fame inductee.
This device is simply awesome!
It means that besides our comprehensive cleaning and disinfecting procedures, we now have the cleanest air in all gyms and fitness studios in Fort Lauderdale, so when you walk into our doors, you know that we are doing everything possible to keep our clients and staff safe and healthy!
916 NE 20th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33304
Phone: 954-522-5250 Email: info@fitfactortraining.com
