As the promise of a COVID vaccine is fulfilled amid the rollout of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, the need to continue wearing masks, washing your hands and maintaining social distancing remains mission critical to protecting lives.
Public health measures have been the main tools at preventing infection and transmission of the virus. Wearing a face mask can reduce an individual’s risk of infection by 70%. With emergency use authorization of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, there is an opportunity to further decrease the risk of illness due to COVID-19.
However, vaccines may give people a false sense of security that masks are no longer needed. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Vaccination teaches the body how to successfully fight a virus without actually getting sick. This is in contrast to public health measures, which rely on decreasing exposure to the virus. To effectively contain this pandemic, reducing exposure to the virus and supporting vaccination campaigns must continue.
- Vaccination does not provide instant immunity
- Vaccine trials did not track if participant wore masks
- The real world does not mimic a clinical controlled trial
- The herd immunity threshold for COVID is unknown
- The duration of COVID vaccine immunity is unknown
- It is unclear if vaccine prevents transmission of COVID
As this pandemic rages on globally, with over 1.5 million dead, according to the World Health Organization data, the scientific community has realized its own impressive milestone. In 10 months, vaccines were created, tested and deployed with enviable efficacy rates of over 94%, and no serious adverse events. Much of that success relies on continued cooperation. It is imperative that every eligible individual gets vaccinated. Vaccination significantly decreases the risk of getting sick, but it does not signal the end of public health measures.
