As the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines slowly proceeds, questions persist among the unvaccinated.
And on Tuesday, Dr. Glenn Wortmann, a MedStar Health infectious disease specialist, answered some of those questions . His answers are below.
If you鈥檙e about 50% protected after a first shot of each available COVID-19 vaccine, why is the second dose so important?
鈥淵ou鈥檙e about 50% protected for probably a short period of time, but you won鈥檛 have 95% protection for a long period of time,鈥� Wortmann said. 鈥淪o, you have to come back on day 21 for Pfizer-BioNTech or day 28 for Moderna to get that boost. It鈥檚 critical; you have to get both doses,鈥� Wortmann said.
If you鈥檙e vaccinated, do you still need to wear a mask?
Yes, for two reasons. First, vaccines aren鈥檛 100% effective. Second is the scientific unknown. The coronavirus infects someone when it moves from their nose into the rest of their system. Vaccination can prevent that spread, but it鈥檚 unknown how long the virus can live in someone鈥檚 nose to potentially be transmitted.
鈥淭here are studies going on right now 鈥� and they鈥檙e measuring to see if you got the vaccine, does that mean the virus can鈥檛 live in your nose for a couple days? We just don鈥檛 know the answer,鈥� Wortmann said. 鈥淲e just don鈥檛 know if you can be a carrier and how long you can be a carrier. And, so that鈥檚 why we鈥檙e recommending the masks and social distancing for now. And as those studies come out, and we鈥檙e all praying that it鈥檚 going to show we don鈥檛 carry, then we may be able to drop the masking down the road.鈥�
If the vaccines are said to be about 95% effective, is there a way to know whether you鈥檙e among the 5% or so not protected?
鈥淭here鈥檚 no antibody test or other test that you can do to see, 鈥業s the vaccine working for me?鈥� 鈥� like we can do with hepatitis B,鈥� Wortmann said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have that type of test for the COVID-19 vaccine. Hopefully one will come down the road, but right now it鈥檚 not available.鈥�
If you鈥檝e had COVID-19 should you still get vaccinated?
Yes. Available data show you鈥檙e probably protected against reinfection for at least three months and maybe for as long as six months or somewhere in between.
鈥淏ut long-term protection from natural infection probably isn鈥檛 there,鈥� Wortmann said. 鈥淲hat we are planning is that the vaccine would give you long-term protection. We don鈥檛 know how long yet, but hopefully for a year or two before we would need our booster shot.鈥�
What are we learning about the likelihood of experiencing an allergic reaction?
Both vaccines were approved for use after studies that involved 30,000 to 40,000 subjects. Now, 10 million to 11 million people are enrolled.
鈥淲e鈥檙e getting a better idea of how common is this allergic reaction, and it鈥檚 not that common. It鈥檚 turning out to be about one in 100,000 who get vaccinated,鈥� Wortmann said. 鈥淎nd to put that in perspective, the risk of an allergic reaction to penicillin is one in 5,000.鈥�
So, while Wortmann said the risk of an allergic reaction to the COVID-19 shot is real, 鈥淚t鈥檚 very, very, very uncommon.鈥�
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