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VERIFY: Why experts say you still need to wear a mask after being vaccinated

There are several reasons why you still need to wear a mask.

If you got vaccinated or have an appointment to get vaccinated, you may be ready to ditch your mask. Do you have to wear one if you’ve been vaccinated? Our Verify team looks into it.

Sources:

  • Dr. Kristin Englund, an infectious disease expert at the Cleveland Clinic
  • Dr. Susan Koletar, the director of the division of infectious diseases at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

So you got the shot and you feel like you’re one step closer to the life you knew before the pandemic.

However, medical experts say a mask is still a must for now. That’s because the vaccine is not an automatic switch to turn off the pandemic.

“Only once we get to probably 70% to 80% of Americans being vaccinated are we going to be able to let down our guard,” said Englund. “While you may be protected, we need to protect all of those around us who may not be vaccinated yet.”

So here’s why you’ll still need that mask:

It will take a little while for the vaccine to kick in. It takes two weeks from your Johnson & Johnson shot or your last Moderna or Pfizer shot.

The vaccines do not 100% protect you from getting COVID-19, just like the flu. If you get the flu shot, you could still get it. And, the virus is changing.

“We don’t know about all the variants that are being seen,” said Dr. Koletar. “Nobody likes to wear masks….but when we go out it's important to wear a mask. We’re getting there.”

Another thing to keep in mind is that even though you are vaccinated you could be an asymptomatic spreader. Experts are concerned you can still get it, not have symptoms, and spread it.

So we can verify even if you’ve been vaccinated, you still need to wear a mask.

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