You’ve Had Your COVID Vaccine, Now What?
You’ve Had Your COVID Vaccine, Now What?
Whether you’ve had the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna, or the Jannsen COVID vaccine, you may wonder what’s next. First of all, if you have the two-step vaccine, you won't be immune to the virus until two weeks after your second dose. With the Jannsen, with only the one-shot, it will still be two weeks.
But, even after two weeks, there isn’t a guarantee that you’ll be safe. It's because none of the vaccines are 100% effective. But, with the vaccine, if you do develop COVID, the symptoms are less severe, and you're less likely to end up going to the hospital.
So, What Can I Do?
Even though ripping off your mask and going around with a bare face again isn't happening anytime soon, there are some restrictions lifted for vaccinated people. You can visit other people who are fully immunized of any age inside your or their home without a mask.
You can visit the home or be in a private setting with a household of unvaccinated people who aren’t at risk for a severe illness without wearing a mask.
If you travel within the United States, you no longer need to get tested before you travel or after. Plus, you don’t have to self-quarantine either. If you want to travel outside the United States, you don't have to get tested before leaving the United States unless you're traveling too unless it’s required.
When Do You Need to Still Wear a Mask?
This is the question that everyone has because everyone is sick of wearing masks. But even with a vaccine, there are still steps you need to take to protect yourself and others. For example, if you’re at a gathering of more than one household of unvaccinated people. Plus, you still need to avoid medium to large crowds of people.
Even if you’re vaccinated, you should still watch for symptoms of COVID if you've been around someone who has it. If you do have signs of COVID, even if vaccinated, you need to get tested.
But suppose you are exposed to a person who is infected. In that case, you won't have to quarantine if you're fully vaccinated, and it's been less than three months, and you're asymptomatic.
Part of the problem is the variants of the virus which have cropped up. The data shows that the vaccines are effective against some of the variants but not all of them. So, preventive steps are needed to keep the variants under control and from spreading.
So, Can I Get Together with Friends?
This answer is a little tricky because even if all your friends are vaccinated, they may have underlying health issues. So, if your friends are vaccinated and are in good health, there may not need to be as much caution. You may have a get-together without masks but with safety precautions.
But, if some do have some health issues, it’s better to stay masked when together. One of the crucial questions is when will masks no longer be necessary. Many experts say that the transition period back to what was normal before the pandemic will take some time.
Once enough people are vaccinated, COVID outbreaks could be treated like a measles outbreak. The source would be traced and then intervention, so the spread would be limited. This will become an easier task once more people are vaccinated against the virus.
So, for now, you can mingle with some groups of vaccinated people without masks. You can visit and hug your grandchildren and children. Further steps are going to take some time.
If you or someone in your family need in-home healthcare, call us at Right at Home today!
