PSA: The 2nd dose does NOT mean you can go maskless

*Mask up even after you’ve been
fully vaccinated*

I just got my second dose of the covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer. I get nervous every time I get a shot (flu vaccine, allergy shots, etc.) but I’m glad I got it. I was very lucky to get the first one (here’s that story, which involves mass incompetence in Shelby County (Memphis, TN) that meant the general public could wait in line to get the vaccine to avoid throwing out doses).

It’s very important to know, though, that — as of when I’m publishing this (March 19, 2021) — getting the two doses of the vaccine (or one for Johnson and Johnson) does NOT guarantee that you are completely protected from covid-19. It also does NOT mean that others around you are completely safe.

The science is still out on this. There are several reasons why even vaccinated people need to mask up and respect social distancing rules.

• First of all, it takes about 2 weeks for the last dose to take fully. Some people think as soon as they get that dose, they’re good. You only get (as close as possible to) immunity a couple weeks afterwards — make sure to check the most current guidance on this when you get your vaccine.

• Even after those two weeks, the CDC and Dr. Fauci both recommend wearing a mask and social distancing. It is very important to know that it is possible with some viruses to still have at least a small chance of being contagious *even if you yourself don’t get symptoms*. There’s not enough known about people who have been vaccinated for covid-19 to know just how immune you’ll be, for how long, and whether or not you can still transmit the disease.

• There are more deadly variants that are popping up, some of which have been identified at least sporadically in the US. No one knows how much protection one vaccine, developed to target an existing strain(s), gives against new mutations of the virus.

For your loved ones’ and your community’s sake, don’t go maskless after you’re fully vaccinated.

Don’t take my word for it.

• Listen to the CDC’s guidelines. CDC website: “For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:

  • Take precautions in public like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing.

  • Wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease[…]

  • Wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households

  • Avoid medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings

  • Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms”

• Dr. Fauci, addressing Sen. Rand Paul’s misinformation:

"He was saying if you've been infected, or you've been vaccinated, don't wear a mask — which is completely against all public health tenets […] He's dead wrong. I mean, I don't have anything personally against him. But he's just quite frankly incorrect."

• The Mayo Clinic. “Keep in mind that if you're fully vaccinated, your risk of getting COVID-19 might be low.

  • But if you become infected, you might spread the disease to others even if you don’t have signs or symptoms of COVID-19.

  • This could be dangerous for people who are unvaccinated and at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.”

Getting vaccinated is extremely important. But we just don’t know enough at this time to say that you’re safe enough, for your own sake and those around you, to stop wearing a mask or stop doing other distancing guidelines.

If none of that convinces you, one last thing to consider.

Think about it: if the Pfizer vaccine is 94% effective, for example, what about the other 6% of the time? Getting vaccinated doesn’t guarantee everyone is 100% sure to be fully immune now, nor against other strains that may be spreading now or later.

So for now, I’m going to keep wearing a mask when I’m out. To protect other people. To help as a reminder that we still need to wear masks. To protect myself and my family. In two weeks, I’ll be a lot safer than I am now, and so will people around me. But this is a pandemic — it’s too important to risk until the science can tell us with more certainty.

So my advice was, and still is, #WearAMask (or #WearADamnMask if you prefer). I’m willing to do every little bit that will help us get that much closer to some sort of normal as soon as possible.

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