Strictly observing the COVID-19 protocol, including distancing and mask-wearing, is essential even after receiving one or both doses of the vaccine.
“People, who have taken the vaccine, should be as careful as they were before. The manufacturers say the vaccines have an efficacy of between 60% and 80% in the lab. In practice, it might be a little less than what is proven in a lab study,” said Dr. Amar Fettle, State nodal officer for COVID-19 and H1N1. Avoiding visits to people who are vulnerable or maintaining distance while visiting, existing protocols at offices and while shopping, are all still crucial, he said.
“Even those who are vaccinated could get a mild version or asymptomatic version of the infection and it is possible to transmit the virus to vulnerable people while coughing or sneezing. The vaccine only confers better survival chances. A fully vaccinated person might not develop a severe form of the disease, and the need for hospitalisation is likely to be less, contributing to saving lives,” Dr. Fettle said.
Dr. R. Aravind, head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, said, “The AstraZeneca and Covaxin trials have not checked the end point of whether the vaccine prevents mild or asymptomatic infections, which means we cannot let our guard down.”
“Vaccination has covered only around 4% of the State’s population, and it will take a long time to cover the rest. ICMR’s recent sero prevalence survey says around 11% of the population was infected. Only a small percentage of the population has immunity either by being infected or vaccinated,” he said.
“The achievement of keeping the sero prevalence down at 11% will pay off only if it is supplemented by aggressive vaccination. An aggressive vaccination campaign over the next few months is very important,” he said.