Not so fast removing face masks and thinking your freedoms have returned!

So, you avoided coronavirus for over a year. You just got your two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Now, is there anything to worry about? Can I give up my face mask and return to normal? Can I catch coronavirus a second time?

The short answer is YES, but around 1% if you are a first-line health care worker.

Latest Study

https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=253750. We hear the term about the efficacy or effectiveness of different vaccines. One might be 95%, and another might be 72%. Each vaccine is made differently and prepares our bodies to recognize some aspect of the viral molecule.

Ninety-five percent means that 19 out of 20 people will be protected. Will that other five percent die? No, that is not implied. It usually means that one person in twenty might become infected and probably not have to be hospitalized. That person would get to enjoy a two-week vacation at home.

Through compulsory daily COVID-19 screening, over 35,000 health care workers from two University of California campuses were tracked to determine infection rates after being vaccinated. Two-thirds of this group had received their second dose.

The maximum protection of coronavirus vaccines occurs after the second dose. Friends of mine who have had both doses tell me that they are to avoid people for another two weeks to ensure complete protection. Thirty-seven health care workers represented about 1% of the group who caught the virus a second time after receiving two doses of coronavirus vaccine.

More Details

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2101927. Protection from the virus increases nearly exponentially after being vaccinated. In this study, the first week after the first dose reported 145 people becoming infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. A week later, 125 people were screened positive for the virus. During the third week after the first dose, 57 people were reported as being infected.

Post-second-dose results show that 22 people got sick from the virus during the first week. An additional eight people screened positive after the second week. After two weeks following the second dose, only seven people were classified as positive.

Those 37 front-line healthcare workers represented about 1% of the total. Their exposure rate is significantly higher than the rest of us mere mortals surviving the pandemic.

My Thoughts

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/03/risk-covid-very-low-vaccinated-medical-workers-study. Every person’s immune system is different. Even with a challenged immune system, the vaccine should protect you. Another factor is personal responsibility.

Being vaccinated does not guarantee that you can return to the pre-pandemic world immediately. Younger people in this study group tended to have a higher risk of exposure. Bars and restaurants are higher risk areas for the virus. Social distance, face masks, hand washing, and more are personal responsibilities, even if you had the disease or were vaccinated against it.

Conclusion

The risk of getting the virus (or variant of the virus) is next to zero, but it is still measurable. Mix the right conditions – no face mask, no social distance, no hand washing, low or challenged immune system, and more, and it is possible to be a recipient of COVID-19 for the second time.

We are not that far from achieving herd immunity. It will take time. I noticed that Florida modified their vaccine restrictions this week. https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/03/25/desantis-announces-vaccine-eligibility-expansion-as-florida-reports-5803-new-covid-19-cases/

Monday, March 29, 2021, those over 40 years of age can get in line. A week later, just after Easter, those over 18 years of age are eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations. I have been an advocate of vaccinating the younger people before the older ones to achieve herd immunity sooner.

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com

 

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