Even when COVID-19 vaccines start to be administered, experts say that wearing masks, social distancing, and following other public health measures will still be recommended for some period of time.
Returning to some sense of normalcy may not happen instantly.
The first coronavirus vaccine needs two doses. The second dose of Pfizer comes three weeks after the first dose and the second dose of Moderna comes four weeks later. And the effects of vaccines are not normally immediate.
It is likely that maximum protection may not happen until a few weeks after the second shot has been administered.
It’s also not yet known whether the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines protect people from infection entirely, or just from symptoms. That means vaccinated people might still get infected and pass the virus on, although it would likely be at a much lower rate, said Deborah Fuller, a vaccine expert at the University of Washington.
Moncef Slaoui, head of the U.S. vaccine development effort, predicted that the country could achieve herd immunity as early as May, based on the efficacy of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. This ensures that there are no problems that exceed the manufacturer’s supply estimates and that enough people are vaccinated.
We should all work together to reduce the spread of this unseen enemy, to contain this virus, and to return quickly to some sense of normalcy.
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