What Can I Do Safely After Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine? Experts weigh in.

If you’ve just gotten the coronavirus vaccine and your mind is buzzing with all the things you can possibly do now that you have some protection against COVID-19, that’s certainly understandable.

This has been an incredibly difficult year and we have given up a lot. We have not managed to go out safely with friends and family. We have canceled weddings and parties. Travel plans were delayed and birthdays and holidays were abnormally quiet. Of course, the pricks in the arm will spark some pent-up excitement about being able to enjoy all the things you’ve missed.

So what can you do now? Well, that’s complicated. IIn general, it is not that easy to evaluate how safe an activity will be after vaccination. For the most part, little has changed for those vaccinated.

Experts stress it’s a bit early to say you can resume a pre-pandemic lifestyle, especially given that so many other people are still unvaccinated. Herd immunity, when about 70% or more of the population is immune to the disease, is the main target for ‘normalcy’.

The injections are very effective against the virus that leads to hospitalization and death, which is excellent, but that’s not the only thing to consider at this point. P.Curve research does indicate that the vaccines may reduce transmission, but more evidence needs to be gathered.

All this means that there is no activity whole risk free at the moment. However, with the right precautions, some of your favorite activities can be a bit safer, according to experts But there are other vital factors to consider as we navigate the rest of the pandemic.

Before assessing the safety of various post-vaccination activities, it is worth making a few important caveats.

First, you want to look at community transfer. If the rates in your area are extremely high, certain activities (such as eating indoors) are much more risky compared to an area with minimal COVID-19 activity.

Second, you still need to evaluate your personal risk. We should all continue to wear masks and keep our physical distance. If you have underlying health conditions that make you more vulnerable to COVID-19 or if you live with someone who does, it is essential to continue to apply tried and true safety precautions. Just take that into account 1 in 20 people is not protected even after you have been vaccinated.

Finally, emerging proof has shown us that even mild cases can lead to devastating long-term symptoms lasting for months, possibly years. This is true for people who are otherwise healthy and may even be people who have had a total asymptomatic infectionSo while the injection will protect most people from serious illness, there are many unanswered questions about what to expect for people who get a mild to moderate case of COVID-19 after vaccination.

Hanging out with other people who have been vaccinated, just looking at that specimen, is probably low risk.

“If you meet with people who you know have been vaccinated and get two doses, you probably don’t need to wear a mask because even if for some reason you were an asymptomatic carrier and gave it to them, chances are that they really get sick will be low, ”said Krysia Lindan, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.

However, it gets complicated when you consider other people. It’s important to consider the health of everyone involved, said Chris Thompson, an immunologist and associate professor of biology in the department of biology at Loyola University Maryland.

For example, if everyone is really healthy, it might be less risky, but if someone has “underlying complications, why risk it?” Thompson said.

The same goes for spending time indoors with friends or family members that have not been vaccinatedThis is definitely more risky. If you have been vaccinated, you have a lower chance of contracting the infection, but you still run the risk of passing it on to others unknowingly.

‘You’re taking a risk. It’s less than before, but I wouldn’t be completely arrogant about it, ”Lindan said.

Although a few small studies have suggested that the vaccines reduce transmission, we really don’t know if you can still spread it, Thompson said.

Most infectious disease experts agree that eating indoors is still risky as the coronavirus is an airborne disease (meaning it can linger in the air for hours and be inhaled). While that risk of getting sick drops significantly after vaccination, there is still a world where you can eat out and pick up COVID-19.

In general, eating outside is much safer than eating inside. (When we say outside, we mean completely outside – not a closed outside structure.) To be inside, without a mask, and in close proximity to others who are to talk and laughter invites the virus to spread.

If you choose to eat in after you get the vaccine, wear a mask when you’re not actively eating and avoid crowded areas, Lindan said. If you are older and at risk for serious COVID-19 disease, it is probably not a wise idea to take off your mask and eat in the presence of strangers who may or may not have been vaccinated.

Thompson said it is wise to follow the same standards that apply to unvaccinated people. The risk of getting sick will be lower, but if you have to fly, wear a good mask and maybe even a face shield. “None of that really changes,” said Thompson.

We do not know how long the immunity lasts after vaccination, and remember that not everyone who is vaccinated will develop immunity. Airports and public toilets are considered more dangerous than airplanes, which have excellent air filtration.

Public transport also carries the risk of being exposed to aerosol virus. The risk decreases after vaccination, especially for healthy people, but you can still spread the virus in these confined spaces. It is unclear how often buses, subways and carpools are cleaned, and this one transit services generally have poor ventilation, so masks are a must whether you have been vaccinated or not.

Lindan said that after being vaccinated, “one could feel a lot safer” having their hair cut, assuming staff and other customers were also wearing masks. Salons are considered a high-risk environment, but when combined with a good face mask, the vaccine will help reduce your risk (but again, the risk is not zero).

Training at a Fitness center continues to worry disease experts since there have been a number of outbreaks traced to fitness studios

“That’s a place where people breathe and exhale heavily, possibly a virus, and you yourself would too,” says Lindan, who strongly suggests wearing a mask and keeping your distance from others when you go to the gym.

The risk here is mainly for the dentist, not the patient, Lindan explained. If the dentist wears the correct protective clothing and there is good ventilation, the transmission risk is low. “It’s probably fine to have your teeth brushed,” Lindan said.

The same generally applies to other doctor’s appointments. Don’t delay important screenings (some experts are concerned that the pandemic could lead to more undiscovered health problems). Here’s a quick guide to what to do on certain doctor’s visits.

The hard truth is, scientists really aren’t sure at this point exactly how safe these activities will be for people who have been vaccinated. That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging people keep wearing masks until the herd’s immunity is established and cases begin to decline dramatically.

Getting the vaccine means you’ve done your part to slow the spread of COVID-19, but it won’t give you a free pass justIf we all get the chance when it is our turn and hold on to our masks a little longer, we can take out COVID-19 relatively quickly.

Getting vaccinated is “a big step forward in getting past this,” said Thompson, “but we’re moving on as a community, not as individuals.”

Experts are still learning about COVID-19. The information in this story is what was known or available at the time of publication, but the guidelines may change as scientists discover more about the virus. Consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most recent recommendations.