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Vaccinated against COVID-19? For now, keep wearing masks, experts say
By Ryan Gillespie
Florida seniors and front-line healthcare workers who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 should continue wearing masks in public and taking the other precautions that health officials have been urging throughout the coronavirus pandemic, experts say.
So far more than 43,000 people in Orange County have received at least one shot of the two-dose vaccine, meaning about 3% of the county has at least some immunity to the highly contagious virus.
But experts still don't know if a vaccinated person can carry the virus and spread it to others in the community, despite not getting sick themselves, so they still shouldn't leave home without facial coverings and should keep their distance from others and continue to frequently wash surfaces, said Dr. Marissa Levine, Virginia's former health commissioner who is now a professor at the University of South Florida.
"People need to know that, even if you get fully vaccinated now, we should not stop the things we know work: physical distancing, wearing facial coverings and good hygienic practices," Levine said. "Right now, vaccinations do not mean letting your guard down."
Before precautions can be relaxed, scientists are monitoring a number of factors, including how the virus is spreading and how many people opt to be vaccinated. They're also studying the protection offered by the vaccine.
To reach herd immunity, which reduces the likelihood of spreading the virus, about 70% of Americans need the shots, according to the Mayo Clinic — or about 230 million people nationwide.
In Florida, about 50,000 have received both dosages of the vaccine so far, including about 6,000 seniors, according to a state report.
Clinical trials have found the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 95% effective at providing immunity from COVID-19, while the Moderna cocktail provided about 94% immunity, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Nearly 600,000 people in Florida have received the first dosage, which gives roughly 50% protection against the virus, said Dr. Cindy Prins, a University of Florida epidemiologist.
Vaccinations pick up speed at Florida long-term care centers
Nearly half of Florida nursing home residents have received their initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the state's surgeon general reported late this week, while Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered reinforcements to speed up the vaccination process for assisted living facilities throughout the state as long-term care infection rates skyrocket.
By Kate Santich
"That means you are still susceptible to COVID-19," Prins said. "You might be more likely to be protected than you were, but that doesn't mean you should throw away the mask."
In Orange County, 35,512 people have received the first dose, while nearly 7,000 have been totally vaccinated.
The state's top health official in Orange County, Dr. Raul Pino, said this week that about 73,000 more people had booked appointments to get their first shot, and his office can handle about 2,000 shots per day at the Orange County Convention Center.
Officials in Orange County have said for months that people should expect to be required to wear masks in public spaces well into this year. Pino said there may be differences in the protection vaccinated people have, compared with those who have developed antibodies after recovering from the virus.
The Health Report: Florida Coronavirus Newsletter
A daily update on the coronavirus crisis in Florida.
"We don't know how long [natural protection] is going to last," he said this week.
Vaccination 'moving rather quickly' in Orange — but immunity goal still far from reach
The state's top health official in Orange County estimated about 9% of the county's 1.4 million residents now have some immunity from the potentially deadly coronavirus contagion, including those who survived bouts with COVID-19 in the past 90 days. About 43,000 people - roughly 3% of the county's population - have been inoculated with a vaccine so far and about 73,000 others have booked appointments to get their first dose, Dr. Raul Pino said Monday during a briefing on the pandemic. "We are moving rather quickly," Pino said of vaccination efforts.
By Stephen Hudak
COVID-19 in the midst of a resurgence in Central Florida, with double-digit positivity rates for at least the past two weeks in Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Lake counties. Those counties are also adding hundreds — in Orange's case, more than 1,000 — infections on an average per day.
Levine said, for now, people should stay on guard as information about the virus and vaccine is learned.
"In a pandemic, we're constantly learning as we go," Levine said. "We don't have all the answers yet."
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rygillespie@orlandosentinel.com
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