Cooperative Living March/April 2021 - 26

HealthyTake | by Liz Szabo, Kaiser Health News
5 REASONS
WEAR A MASK
A
NO VACCINE IS 100% EFFECTIVE
Large clinical trials found that two doses of the Moderna
or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines prevented 95% of illnesses
caused by the coronavirus. While those results are impressive,
1 in 20 people are left unprotected, says Dr. Tom Frieden, a
former director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Malani notes that vaccines were tested in controlled
clinical trials at top medical centers, under optimal
conditions.
In the real world, vaccines are usually slightly less
effective. Scientists use specific terms to describe the
phenomenon. They refer to the protection offered by vaccines
in clinical trials as " efficacy, " while the actual immunity seen
in a vaccinated population is " effectiveness. "
The effectiveness of vaccines could be affected by the way
they're handled, Malani says. The genetic material used in
mRNA vaccines, made with messenger RNA from the
coronavirus, is so fragile that it has to be carefully stored
and transported.
Any variation from the CDC's strict guidance could
influence how well vaccines work, Malani says.
VACCINES DON'T PROVIDE
IMMEDIATE PROTECTION
No vaccine is effective right away, Malani says. It takes
about two weeks for the immune system to make the
antibodies that block viral infections.
2.
1.
COVID-19 vaccines will take a little longer than other
inoculations, such as the flu shot, because both the Moderna
24 | Cooperative Living | March-April 2021
Even After You're Vaccinated
s an emergency physician, Dr. Eugenia South was in the first group of people
to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. She received her second dose even before
President Joe Biden. Yet South says she's in no rush to throw away her face
mask. " I honestly don't think I'll ever go without a mask at work again, " says South,
faculty director of the Urban Health Lab at the University of Pennsylvania in
Philadelphia. " I don't think I'll ever feel safe doing that. "
Although COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, South plans to continue
wearing her mask outside the hospital, as well. Health experts say there are good
reasons to follow her example. " Masks and social distancing will need to continue
into the foreseeable future - until we have some level of herd immunity, " says
Dr. Preeti Malani, chief health officer at the University of Michigan. " Masks and
distancing are here to stay. "
Malani and other health experts explain five reasons Americans should hold
on to their masks.
and Pfizer products require two doses. The Pfizer shots are
given three weeks apart; the Moderna shots, four weeks apart.
In other words, full protection won't arrive until five or
six weeks after the first shot. So, a person vaccinated on
New Year's Day would not have been fully protected until
Valentine's Day.
VACCINES MAY NOT PREVENT YOU
FROM SPREADING THE VIRUS
Vaccines can provide two levels of protection. The measles
vaccine prevents viruses from causing infection, so vaccinated
people don't spread the infection or develop symptoms.
Most other vaccines, including flu shots, prevent people
3.
from becoming sick but not from becoming infected or
passing the virus to others, says Dr. Paul Offit, who advises
the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug
Administration on the coronavirus vaccines.
While the vaccines clearly prevent illness, researchers
need more time to figure out whether they prevent transmission,
too, says epidemiologist Saskia Popescu, an assistant professor
in the biodefense program at George Mason University's
Schar School of Policy and Government in Fairfax, Va.
" We don't yet know if the vaccine protects against infection,
or only against illness, " says Frieden, now CEO of Resolve
to Save Lives, a global public health initiative. " In other words,
a vaccinated person might still be able to spread the virus,
even if they don't feel sick. "
Until researchers can answer that question, Frieden says
wearing masks is the safest way for vaccinated people to
protect those around them.
co-opliving.com
Masks, physical
distancing and
vaccines - these three
approaches work
best as a team.
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living March/April 2021

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