The World Health Organization strongly advised those who already received their vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to continue practicing social distancing measures, frequent handwashing, and wearing masks.
Dr. Katherine O’Brien, WHO Director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines, and Biologicals, cited that the world continues to observe broad transmission of the coronavirus in many countries and stressed that it is still out of control.
“We’re still learning about what the vaccines can do, can they protect against getting infected and transmitting to someone else. And so for how long we need to continue these precautions is really going to depend on what communities and countries can do to really crush this virus to crush the transmission. And in that way the vaccines can do their best job at preventing disease,” explained Dr. O’Brien in WHO’s Science in 5 together with Vismita Gupta-Smith of WHO Communications.
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She also stressed that while clinical trials have proven effectiveness rates of vaccines in protecting the person who got inoculated, it remains to be proven whether or not the vaccinated individual could transmit the virus to another person.
Dr. O’Brien added that there are also specific age groups, particularly children, where studies have yet to prove its effectivity rate.
“Remember that we don’t actually have the evidence yet for using the vaccine in some age groups, we don’t have the evidence for use of vaccines in children, for instance. So for the time being, those age groups are going to continue to be at risk of both disease and infection and being able to transmit to other people,” said Dr. O’Brien.
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“Time is going to tell once we get broad vaccination coverage in the community. When we know more about what the vaccine can actually do to prevent infection. We can slowly start taking our foot off the pedal of these other interventions and make sure that the transmission again doesn’t start to escalate again,” she added.
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