With the Covid-19 vaccine do I still need to wear a face mask? 

With the exciting promises of the vaccines being further administered in our communities, it’s important to consider how these “unprecedented times” will now transition amongst increased safety. 

The short of it, not much is changing anytime soon.

However, until these vaccines are not administered to most of Canada’s population, Covid-19 precautions are still necessary.

The science behind the transmission rate from vaccinated individuals is not clear, thus we cannot let our guards down just yet. Much of the population will still have to wait months before receiving a vaccine. The devastating effects of contracting Covid-19 are still real threats. Therefore, PPE is still a must. 

Wondering how the vaccine works?

The popular Pfizer and Moderna vaccines work with the backing of decades of research into mRNA technology. In order to vaccinate as many individuals as possible, some of the vaccines Canada will receive will be more traditional, where the vaccine injects a weak or inactivated virus into the body. 

This vaccine then gives instructions to our cells to create spike proteins that match the spike proteins on the surface of the COVID-19 virus. Our cells create these proteins, and then get rid of the corresponding mRNA. 

After this, the protein is displayed on the cell’s surface – where it is then recognized as unfamiliar by the immune system – thus an immune response is built. Therefore, if the coronavirus does enter our bodies, the body is already prepared with the antibodies due the vaccine. These vaccines offer remarkable efficacy – above 95%! For reference, the average tri-dosage of the mumps vaccine – a disease that has been heavily controlled for years – is 88% with two doses. 

Still have more questions regarding the vaccine? Take a look at these sources:

WHO - Vaccines and Immunization 

CDC - How Vaccines Work

Immunize BC - Vaccine 101