INDIANAPOLIS — In the coming months, millions of Americans are expected to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. But once you get it, will that mean you no longer need to wear a mask?
That has been a popular question in the 13News VERIFY inbox, including this question from Kathy, who works at a Fishers dental office: “Once I get the COVID-19 vaccine will I still need to wear a mask everywhere?”
There are really two questions there: If you get the vaccine, is wearing a mask still a good idea? And once you get a COVID-19 vaccine, will wearing a mask still be required?
We’ll explore those questions separately.
Most infectious disease experts say continuing to wear a mask is strongly encouraged — even AFTER you get a COVID-19 vaccine.
A review of the leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates suggests the vaccines might be 90 to 95 percent effective in providing immunity to the virus. That would still mean between 5 and 10 percent of people who get the vaccine will not be immune. You won’t know if you are one of those people, and if you are, wearing a mask will still be important in reducing risk.
Last month, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN “Obviously, with a 90-plus percent effective vaccine, you could feel much more confident… but I would recommend to people to not abandon all public health measures just because you have been vaccinated.”
He was referring to the continued use of masks, maintaining physical distance, staying away from large crowds and washing your hands a lot, even after you get a vaccine.
Another reason it might be a good idea to continue wearing a mask: It takes a little while for the vaccines to fully kick in and provide immunity — somewhere between a week and a month, according to early studies released by the vaccine manufacturers.
Multiple studies show not wearing a mask puts individuals at an increased risk for getting the virus and spreading it to others, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly urges mask use to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
As far as whether you’ll still be required to wear a mask after you get a vaccine, that is a policy decision currently determined by individual states, counties, cities and, in many cases, even by individual businesses. Communities that have mask mandates right now have not yet said if anything will change once people start getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
And stores are not going to want to request proof of vaccination for every customer who walks in the door to determine who must wear a mask and who can shop mask-free.
It is likely that mask mandates will continue to be based on overall positivity rates and hospitalization rates, so it might still take a while for those mandates to go away.
The Indiana State Department of Health helps set policy for the state of Indiana, and a department spokeswoman told 13News: “Hoosiers should expect to continue wearing masks for the foreseeable future. As more vaccine is available and a large portion of people are vaccinated, it will be less imperative to wear a mask at all times. This may be summer or early fall.”
So is wearing a mask after you get a vaccine still a good idea?
The nation’s leading health experts say yes, it is a good idea to reduce your risk -- at least for a while longer.
Will you be required to wear a mask after you get a vaccine? We simply don’t know that answer, but don’t expect existing mask mandates to just disappear overnight.
As Fauci recently told CNN, “We are not going to turn [the pandemic] on and off, going from where we are to completely normal. It’s going to be a gradual accrual of more normality as the weeks and the months go by, as we get well into 2021.”