The New COVID-19 Question: Do Vaccinated People Need to Wear Masks?

Just because you've received a COVID-19 vaccination shot doesn't exactly mean you should rip your mask off immediately. As scientists continue to learn about the impact of the vaccination, here's why you should keep masking-up.

It’s the one question that remains a deep topic of conversation even as 3 million vaccinations per day for two weeks straight have been administered across the United States: after you are vaccinated, do you still have to wear a mask or face covering?

While the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases recently said that it’s still possible for fully vaccinated people to contract the virus, Dr. Anthony Fauci echoed the sentiments just days ago by saying vaccinated people should still wear a mask to avoid “inadvertently” spreading the coronavirus or becoming sick themselves.

“What happens is that you might get infected and get absolutely no symptoms, not know you’re infected, and then inadvertently go into a situation with vulnerable people,” Fauci explained on Sunday’s episode of NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“And if you don’t have a mask, you might inadvertently infect them. Now, there’s a small risk of that, but it’s there.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting individuals from getting sick. While we are still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19, but there are some precautions to continue to take even after you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. You should keep wearing a mask, stay 6 feet apart from others by practice social distancing, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces—in public places until we know more.

Now with roughly 40% of Americans having received at least one shot and roughly 1 in 4 already fully vaccinated, the discussion keeps rolling even while COVID-19 deaths are being reported in the U.S. by 700 people daily (that figure is based on a seven-day average of Hopkins data), which is down from 3,400 deaths per day in mid-January.

Americans will need to keep wearing masks until we reach herd immunity.

As it stands, about 70% to 85% of people must achieve immunity to reach “herd immunity”, the point at which enough people are protected against a disease that it cannot spread through the population.

Even a year after wearing facemasks and respirators in public became part of the new normal with the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, receiving a reminder about the benefits of wearing a mask never hurts. Both mask-wearing and social distancing help risk-mitigation and provide the chance for scientists to further learn about how the vaccination is really working. People are considered “fully vaccinated” two weeks after they receive their last vaccine. That’s really the point when people need to increase their mask-wearing awareness in public and continue to practice social distancing to prevent transmitting the disease.

The easiest and quickest way to eventually get back to a safe, mask-free life is for everyone to vaccinated for starters, but that shouldn’t deter people from ditching their mask. In fact, the longer people continue to wear their masks during this time, the better chance there is for businesses and schools to open at full capacity, and hopefully mask-free. In the end, wearing a mask sends a strong message and sets a good example for those who have not been fully vaccinated, particularly young children.

To continue staying safe and protected through this vaccination process, make sure to visit CovCare for all of your PPE and facemask needs.