Although it has now been demonstrated that vaccination is effective against Covid-19, its impact on transmission is still debated, despite some progress. For the Minister of Health Olivier Véran, the wearing of the mask will thus apply for at least another “several months”.
Vaccinated but still masked. The start of the vaccination campaign represents the hope of an end to the health crisis and the resumption of a “normal” life. But before everything is as before, we will still have to wait. The latest data on the vaccine from Pfizer, presented on December 31 in the New England Journal of Medicineremain unclear as to the contagiousness of vaccinated people, justifying continuing to wear the mask for a while longer.
The vaccine does not prevent infection
Respect for barrier gestures, including wearing a mask, will apply for at least another time.several months”, insisted Olivier Véran on December 3 at a press conference. Jean-François Delfraissy, the president of the scientific council, told him that we will have to be “extremely cautious another three to six months“, to Parisian last December 15. “Ihe arrival of vaccines will have no impact on the first quarter of 2021 and very little on the second. This beginning of the year will therefore be no different from 2020“, he added.
This caution is mainly due to the fact that vaccines do not provide 100% protection against a new infection. “You can be vaccinated and carry the virus and therefore potentially be able to transmit it”, confirmed to Why Doctor Jean-Paul Ortiz, president of the Confederation of French medical unions (CSMF), on December 4. The vaccine makes it possible to avoid severe forms since it reduces the viral load and it has been shown that the severity of the infection depends on this viral load. By being vaccinated, one is therefore likely to be a carrier and to be able to transmit the virus to people who are not vaccinated and who can potentially be affected by a severe form of Covid-19.
An interest confirmed by studies
The mask remains the most effective tool to limit the transmission of the virus. Scottish researchers recently estimated that wearing a universal mask would reduce virus-related deaths by 20%. If the vaccine drastically reduces the viral load in the event of infection, the mask is a powerful ally for breaking the chain of transmission.
The nose and mouth are the main entry and exit routes for the virus. “Covering the mouth and nose with filter materials serves two purposes: personal protection against inhalation of pathogens or harmful particles, and source control to avoid exposing others to infectious microbes that can be expelled during breathing”, concluded a study published in the JAMA Network the 14th of July.
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