Are you vaccinated? You still need to wear a mask and social distance, experts advise

Hundreds of thousands of coloradans received the COVID-19 vaccine on February 12 and are probably wondering what they can safely do.

The answer, health experts say, is to keep wearing a mask and practice social detachment.

People may think they are invincible with vaccines, but until 70% to 80% of people are vaccinated, the risk of spreading the coronavirus remains, including the chance of exposure to others, said Michelle Barron, senior medical director of prevention UCHealth infections.

While the state said this week that about half of people aged 70 and over have been vaccinated, and about 27,000 in the 65-69 age group, too, the vast majority of coloradans are not vaccinated. Medical professionals still do not know whether people who have been vaccinated are protected against the spread of the disease. In addition, individuals under the age of 16 cannot be vaccinated.

“We have this whole group of people who still don’t have a vaccine available,” said Lisa Miller, professor of epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. “We really want to focus on protecting as many people as possible from serious illness.”

However, it will be a long time before there is a vaccine for everyone, she said.

In less than a year, the world has gone from discovering a new virus to two – almost three safe – effective vaccines in emergency use, said Angela Shen, who is a visiting researcher at the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia. It usually takes 15-20 years to develop a vaccination, she said.

The two vaccines currently launched, from Moderna and Pfizer, require two doses. The first dose of Moderna will get an individual’s effectiveness in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 by 70%, followed by Pfizer at around 55%, said Barron.

The second dose of Moderna is administered 28 days after the initial injection and, when complete, is 94.1% effective, said Barron, and the second dose of Pfizer occurs 21 days later, with 95% effectiveness.

And the new variants are similar enough to the original coronavirus for the vaccine to work, said Barron. She explained that it’s like changing your hair color: “If your hair is black one day and blue the next, it’s still you, but it looks a little different.”

However, vaccination does not fully protect him, Barron said, comparing the vaccine to Kevlar.

“It helps to protect you where there is access, but obviously you are not covered from head to toe, you are still at risk,” she said. “After taking the vaccine, the risk of getting it will be much less, but it is not zero”.

Miller understands people’s frustration at not being able to return to normal even after getting the vaccine, but they should find comfort in being protected from disease. While people with the vaccine in theory can get together, there will be people outside that circle with whom you interact, said Shen.

“There is collectivism here,” said Shen. “You are in this together with everyone around you, whether you like them or not. We are not exempt from risks. “