There's a three or four week waiting period between your first and second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. So what happens if you come down with COVID-19 while you're waiting to get the second dose?
Heidi Varner’s mother received her first vaccine shot in January.
“Her second dose was scheduled for a couple weeks later, but she ended up having a little delay in between there before she was able to get that second dose,” said Heidi Varner.
Varner’s mother was diagnosed with COVID-19 after being exposed at her senior housing community.
“She actually didn't have any [symptoms],” she said.
“When you get a COVID-19 vaccine what it really protects you from is dying, it keeps you out of the hospital, and prevents you from having severe symptoms of COVID-19,” said Dr. Joseph Gastaldo with OhioHealth.
Gastaldo says just having a first dose could keep your symptoms at bay. But, if you get COVID-19 after your first dose, you still need to protect others when waiting to get your second dose.
“If somebody has COVID, they obviously cannot go back in to receive their second dose if they're still in isolation,” he said.
Gastaldo says that waiting an extra week or two will not impact the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Gastaldo also says it is worth noting you cannot contract COVID-19 from the vaccine. You will also not test positive because you received your vaccine.