Okay, you received the COVID-19 vaccination. Now what? You still need to follow key safety steps. Here is why.
For those Just Receiving the Vaccination
You need to wear a mask to receive the vaccination. This will protect you. And will protect everyone else, too.
The vaccine is given in two doses. Even if you receive the first dose, it will not protect you for getting the virus. Some still contracted the virus after the initial dose.
If You Received the Vaccination
First, thank you!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is asking those that receive a vaccination to keep following the safety steps. There are several reasons for this.
First, it is critical to zoom out and acknowledge that we are in a pandemic. And therefore, we need to respect that. The vaccination at this point is considered by the CDC as a preventative step. But not the preventative step. It does not replace the recommended safety steps.
But that will change in the future. We just do not know when. And here is why.
Vaccines are typically issued with a known life span. For example, the tetanus vaccine is good for a decade.
But we are fighting a pandemic. And we do not have the leisure to figure out exactly how long the vaccine covers. That will take time. But researchers did prove that it works and it is safe. And that is key.
As the CDC explains, experts need to understand more about the protection that vaccines provide before deciding to change recommendations. And experts have to learn more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions.
Other factors, including how many people receive it and how the virus is spreading in communities, will also affect this decision.
Illustration by Olha Khomich, hosted on Icon8