Vaccinated? Don’t throw away your masks just yet

Those who have received Covid jabs should not think of ditching their masks just yet as transmission and infection is still possible and there is a likelihood of immunity wearing off over time, scientists say.

While countries such as the US, Israel and Bhutan have scrapped the mandatory mask policy following successful vaccine rollouts, South Africa is still far from reaching their vaccination target.

More than 11 million Covid vaccines have been administered to date, but excluding those who received the Johnson & Johnson single-dose jab, this could mean only five million people are protected, said Stellenbosch University epidemiologist Dr Jo Barnes.

Despite the jab protecting people from hospitalisation and serious illness, infections and transmissions were still possible, she said.

“Don’t throw away your mask. The vaccine doesn’t protect you from getting a light case of Covid, which resembles a cold or flu but not to the extent of hospitalisation.

“We are going to wear masks for a while. I know it is irritating but it is a lot less irritating and less dangerous than Covid,” she said.

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Another worry was the unvaccinated possibly taking advantage of the mask policy being canned as they could not be distinguished from the vaccinated, said Alex van den Heever, chair of social society systems administration and management at Wits University.

On the other hand, the vaccinated could lose their immunity over time, according to the ZOE Covid study.

The study found that the Pfizer vaccine fell from 88% protection after a second dose to 74% after five to six months.

This could lead to the requirement of booster shots, an option which was being considered across the world, said Barnes.

“It seems to be very successful in boosting the immunity be- yond what the vaccination could manage.

“But now we are faced with an ethical dilemma because so few people got the original first vaccine.

“We need to protect those we can before we can get booster vaccines to some. If it is required, let it be for the vulnerable,” she said.

With the majority of the targeted population still unvaccinated, the virus could again mutate, this time into a variant which escaped immunity, said Van den Heever.

“No manufacturer has found evidence the variants circulating now escape the vaccine, but it doesn’t mean it won’t happen. With the vaccination, you have reduced illness but not infection.

“Masks are a sensible solution. It will probably remain, especially in public places,” he said.

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