Although the rollout of vaccine for COVID-19, by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, has instilled a sense of hope and security in people, it does not mean people’s lives will return to normal after vaccination. The coronavirus vaccine can only train the body to fight the virus.
Six major factors for a prevalent mask rule and other preventive measures:
Vaccination is not immunization. Reports say that the vaccine does not offer “instant immunity”; it could take up to six weeks to achieve the immunity promised in the clinical trials.
The vaccine’s real-world effectiveness remains hazy. Factors such as storage temperature, transportation, and means of administration influence the effectiveness of the vaccine in a real-world scenario. Pre-existing diseases may also affect people’s immunity levels.
Clinical trial participants may not have adhered to safety measures. There is no data to prove that trails were conducted using preventive measures such as wearing masks and washing hands.
Threshold for coronavirus herd immunity has not been established yet. Researchers are yet to find out the percentage of the population that needs to be vaccinated for herd immunity.
The vaccine’s ability to prevent transmission is unknown
The vaccine makers don’t know whether the vaccine prevents transmission.
The duration of vaccine’s efficacy
Researchers don’t know how long the vaccine will provide immunity.
It is absolutely essential that even after vaccination we need to wear masks, maintain social distancing and wash hands periodically to decrease exposure and spread.
