Vaccines good, but masks better!

Date:

Why you will still need to wear a mask even after getting a Covid-19 vaccine…

By Dr Vishal Rao

BENGALURU:

The clinical trials based on which most (if not all) of the Covid-19 vaccines are approved for emergency use provide sufficient evidence of the vaccines’ ability to prevent the Covid-19 disease, but not transmission.

What does this mean? Say you receive the vaccine and are exposed to someone shedding SARS-CoV-2. You will get infected by the virus, but the antibodies developed due to vaccination will prevent you from getting moderate-to-severe Covid-19.

Protected, but still infectious

It is also highly likely that you may get an asymptomatic infection and shed the virus despite being vaccinated, still carrying the risk of transmitting the virus to someone else.

Now, the one you transmit the infection to could be a high-risk individual who may not have the necessary antibodies to fight the virus, and may have serious complications. This could lead to even death in susceptible individuals.

Why is this so? Vaccines provide systemic immunity to fight against the virus, once it enters the body, but they may still leave areas, like the nose and throat, where the virus is relatively free to multiply and then potentially spread through coughing or sneezing, without making the host sick.

This obviously means that despite vaccination we must still wear masks and practise physical distancing to protect those around us, especially the vulnerable.

(Dr Vishal Rao is Associate Dean-Academics, HCG, and member of the state Covid task force.)

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Subscribe

spot_imgspot_img

Popular

More like this
Related

TV Channel Staffer Stabbed with Beer Bottle After Film Launch Party in Bengaluru; Accused Arrested

Bengaluru: A shocking incident unfolded at a private hotel...

DK Shivakumar Neither in a Hurry Nor Worried, Says Bamul President DK Suresh Amid Leadership Speculation

Bengaluru: Brushing aside intense speculation over a possible leadership...
bengaluru {"prefetch":[{"source":"document","where":{"and":[{"href_matches":"\/*"},{"not":{"href_matches":["\/wp-*.php","\/wp-admin\/*","\/wp-content\/uploads\/*","\/wp-content\/*","\/wp-content\/plugins\/*","\/wp-content\/themes\/thebengalurulive\/*","\/*\\?(.+)"]}},{"not":{"selector_matches":"a[rel~=\"nofollow\"]"}},{"not":{"selector_matches":".no-prefetch, .no-prefetch a"}}]},"eagerness":"conservative"}]}