Do you still wear a mask? 6 things you need to know after vaccination with COVID-19

KPRC 2 is all the sources you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine.

As more people get vaccinated, more families want this to mean they can see each other again. But that hope comes with doubts. Here’s what you need to know about life after vaccination:

Visiting with my grandparents from afar is a familiar sight to many of us. Many of us are accustomed to hugging, touching and not oversleeping.

“We weren’t in their house to hug them or stay close to them,” said Christine Rikos.

Rikos couldn’t even visit with his medically fragile sister. For almost a year, they are coming through the windows. Christine’s family comes to greet once a week.

But for the Rikos family, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Christine’s parents were vaccinated with the first vaccine.

“When I found out they were able to make an appointment, I was just weeping for joy when I knew they could be vaccinated,” Rikos said.

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Related article: Follow the latest vaccine news in our special section

Also newly vaccinated was Viola Bailey from Sugarland. She is just 96 years old.

“She’s as cheeky as they come,” said Bailey’s granddaughter Joy Bailey Green. “I always tell people she’s a big troublemaker. Even at the age of 96, she’s always fine and spicy.”

Bailey lives with her granddaughter and family. She vaccinated her first vaccination like a champion.

“When I saw an appointment available, I clicked on it and started crying,” Green said. “I didn’t expect such a reaction. This year was a moving year.”

The family is looking forward to the summer vacation together.

“It’s the first time we’re on vacation together,” Green said. “She has already set her money aside and is planning a vacation wardrobe.”

These families want to know-when can we safely get together again now that our grandparents are vaccinated?

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Dr. Melanie Mouzoon and Kelsey-Seybold Someone answers the top questions about best practices after vaccination.

1. When can someone get up close and personal when someone is completely vaccinated?

“Two weeks after the second dose, it should be okay to loosen it a little,” says Mouzoon. “Then they meet their grandchildren and hug them. You can loosen them a little, but not so much.”

Mouzoon said it was because the virus continued to change. In other words, even those who have been vaccinated need to be careful. She still recommends avoiding large numbers of people and gatherings.

2. How well will a person be protected after a single vaccination? Then the second one?

“If you’re exposed to COVID at that point, you’re about 80% likely to be protected, but not immediately after two weeks,” says Mouzoon. “Then, after the second dose, which increases to about 95% effectiveness. Therefore, they are very effective vaccines.”

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The full efficacy of the vaccine begins two weeks after the second dose.you can Read more about this from this CDC..

3. Do people who have already been vaccinated still need to wear a mask?

Yes. It is recommended to wear a mask after vaccination.

“For these new variants, we’re really trying to get everyone to wear masks. For these new variants, we don’t know what the vaccine will do,” Mouzoon said. I am. “There seems to be some evidence of ineffectiveness among the new variants.”

The Cleveland Clinic further explains why you need to wear a mask It also describes how this affects herd immunity.

4. Can I carry my COVID with me even if I have been vaccinated?

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“I don’t know for sure, but I suspect this is because the disease has a very high asymptomatic carriage rate.”

5. Are vaccines less effective for some people?

Vaccines do not have the same effect on everyone. Mouzoon said this is another reason to keep wearing the mask.

“All vaccines are a little less effective as we get older, so it’s worth recognizing that they’re still at risk,” says Mouzoon.

The· AARP has a lot of information about people over the age of 65 and the COVID vaccine..

6. Do I need to get the COVID vaccine even if I am already infected with COVID?

Yes, you still need to get the vaccine, but you have to wait 3-4 months after you recover.

This is what the CDC says: Experts still don’t know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity obtained by infection, called “innate immunity,” varies from person to person. People infected with COVID-19 rarely get infected again. It is also rare for a person who has been re-infected with COVID-19 to become infected with COVID-19 within 90 days of recovering from the initial infection. It is not known how long the immunity produced by vaccination will last until more data is available on how well the vaccine works.

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