The answer may surprise you – find out why

It’s counter intuitive – we know. You get the shot so that you’ll be immune to the virus. But it’s not that simple.

The vast majority of people who are vaccinated will be protected from COVID-19. However, vaccinated people may still be able to transmit the virus, even though they don’t display symptoms.

“We know now the vaccines can protect, but what we haven’t had enough time to really understand is – does it protect from spreading?” said Avery August, professor of immunology at Cornell University.

What’s the point of getting the vaccine if I still have to wear a mask?

Think of mask-wearing and social distancing as a continuum of risk-mitigation strategies, which are in place while scientists conduct research, more and more people get vaccinated, and the prevalence of Covid-19 goes down.

For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people can gather indoors, without masks, with other fully vaccinated people. People are considered “fully vaccinated” two weeks after they receive their last vaccine. Those same people then need to be conscientious about social distancing and mask-wearing in public, as they could potentially transmit the disease in the wider community.

The hope is that as more and more of the public is vaccinated, fewer people will have severe cases of Covid-19, and the pressure on the health system will decline with the prevalence of the disease.

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