Are there any other ways to reduce my risk?
Getting the vaccine is the best way to reduce your risk. But until then, take a look at your activities and try to reduce the time and number of exposures to other people.
For example, if you now go to the store two or three times a week, reduce it to just once a week. If you have spent 30 to 45 minutes at the supermarket, reduce the time to 15 or 20 minutes. If the store is full, come back later. If you are waiting in line, be careful to be at least two meters away from the people in front of you and behind you. Try delivery or collection on the sidewalk, if that is an option for you.
If you have been spending time indoors with others outside your home, consider skipping these events until you and your friends are vaccinated. If you need to be with other people, use your best mask, make sure the space is well ventilated (windows and doors open) and keep the visit as short as possible. It is even safer to take your social plans outdoors. And if you’re thinking about air travel, it’s a good idea to reschedule, given the high number of cases across the country and the emergence of the most contagious variant.
“The new variants are making me think twice about my plan to teach in person, which would be with masks and with good ventilation anyway,” said Marr. “They are making me think twice before getting on a plane.”
Will the current Covid vaccines work against the new variants?
Experts are cautiously optimistic that the current generation of vaccines will be primarily effective against emerging variants of the coronavirus. Earlier this month, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their Covid vaccine works against one of the main mutations present in some of the variants. This is good news, but the variants have other potentially risky mutations that have not yet been studied.
Some data also suggest that variants with certain mutations may be more resistant to vaccines, but more studies are needed and these variants have not yet been detected in the United States. While the data is worrying, experts say that current vaccines generate extremely high levels of antibodies and are likely to at least prevent serious illnesses in immunized and infected people.
“The reason I am cautiously optimistic is that, as far as we know about how vaccines work, it is not just an antibody that provides all the protection,” said Dr. Adam Lauring, associate professor of infectious diseases at the University of Michigan. “When you are vaccinated, you generate antibodies across the peak protein. This makes it less likely that a mutation here or there will leave you completely unprotected. This is what gives me reason to be optimistic that everything will be fine in terms of the vaccine, but there is more work to be done ”.