You can look at it from another perspective- since you are a provider to at-risk groups, by you getting the vaccine, you minimize the risk of being an a-symptomatic carrier and spreading it unknowingly. You are doing it more for them than for yourself.
Totally agree. On the other hand, for the first time in 9 months, I am 2 weeks away from not assuming that every patient encounter (about 70 per week) will lead to my family getting covid.
To any of my fellow healthcare workers, who work in direct contact with patients: are you intending on switching from your N95 to a regular surgical mask after the set of vaccinations? I thought I might do that due the terribly restrictive nature and discomfort of many hours in the respirator.
So, have they told you that you won't be infected with Covid at all after you are fully immunized? I was under the impression that although it has proven to limit the disease severity, that it hadn't yet been proven to prevent infections, so that even vaccinated people could pass it on, but maybe that has changed.
You are correct. We still do not know all details of what happens when we get exposed after vaccination.
That was kind of a funny, but not really funny, discussion I had with a few higher ups who were signing up for the shots. Although no one is refusing it no one is in a rush to be first so I volunteered. They just want me to tell them what the process is like. Anyway once we were all signed up we started discussing any changes that can be made after we get the shot. Of course it amounted to nothing. For the immediate future we will be taking the same precautions. It will be like I didn’t even get the vaccine until we start developing new policies. I have heard the “maybe you can still spread it even if your vaccinated.” Not sure what that means, is it just like you can have the virus on you? In your nose? Spread it by contamination or can you have it in your system and spread it like “normal”. Kind of strange, I’ll ask who ever shoots me up a few questions but they will probably refer me to someone else.
So, have they told you that you won't be infected with Covid at all after you are fully immunized? I was under the impression that although it has proven to limit the disease severity, that it hadn't yet been proven to prevent infections, so that even vaccinated people could pass it on, but maybe that has changed.
That’s still not known. It does looks like it prevents infection and makes severe infection rare. But what occurs to asymptomatic spreading after vaccination is still not known. Some evidence from the moderna study indicates it may prevent virus spread. So, even after being fully vaccinated I will still be wearing a mask and socially distancing as well as avoiding indoor spaces for long periods of time with folks outside of my household.
Agree that we don’t know how the vaccine will prevent us from transmitting the virus to others. I’m still required to don full PPE / n95 when entering their rooms and when we do surgery on these patients. If given a choice I’d choose to anyway as there is so much still not known about this virus and disease. These precautions will be a necessity, I’m afraid, for the foreseeable future...
Generally, vaccines administered via the disease's mucosal route of transmission (eg oral or intranasal route) tend to be more effective at averting spreading illness. For example, the oral polio vaccine tends to be more effective in reducing transmission of polio than the intramuscular version as polio is spread via fecal-oral transmission. The current Covid vaccines are administered via intramuscular injection rather than via the virus's route of transmission-the respiratory tract. This may potentially help explain why it's not clear if the current intramuscular Covid vaccines are effective in transmission prevention. Time will tell.
So, have they told you that you won't be infected with Covid at all after you are fully immunized? I was under the impression that although it has proven to limit the disease severity, that it hadn't yet been proven to prevent infections, so that even vaccinated people could pass it on, but maybe that has changed.
To any of my fellow healthcare workers, who work in direct contact with patients: are you intending on switching from your N95 to a regular surgical mask after the set of vaccinations? I thought I might do that due the terribly restrictive nature and discomfort of many hours in the respirator.
