Do vaccinated people need to maintain social distancing?
The world has successfully completed history's fastest development of a new vaccine. The vaccines for COVID-19 are said to be safe. Will life be the same after vaccination?
The new vaccines will probably prevent you from getting sick with COVID-19. No one knows yet whether they will keep you from spreading the virus to others but that information is coming. The new COVID-19 vaccine leaves the possibility that some vaccinated people can get infected without developing symptoms, and could then silently transmit the virus especially if they come in close contact with others or stop wearing masks. If vaccinated people are silent spreaders of the virus, they may keep it circulating in their communities, putting unvaccinated people at risk.
It seems if vaccination begins, it shall have to have the policy of vaccinating all not leaving anyone behind, probably phase by phase. A lot of people are thinking that once they get vaccinated, they are not going to wear masks anymore. It is really going to be critical for them to know that they have to keep wearing masks because they could still be contagious.
So, it will be a little longer until vaccinated individuals can let their guard down. Even after you get your two shots of vaccination, you should wear a mask and avoid crowds and situations where you could spread the virus to a lot of other people.
To protect yourself from the virus, you should get vaccinated. One should not keep any stone unturned. We should understand vaccination is not protective, it is preventive. Even if you are vaccinated it shall take months to get immunity, before that we should use all other ways and means to be protected.
The writer is a gerontologist and a public health specialist. E-mail: zubairkhaledjoy@gmail.com