Yes, We Have COVID-19 Vaccines But That Doesn't Mean the End of the Pandemic is Near - TIME
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But the same public health experts who are encouraged by the positive vaccine results are also warning that vaccines aren’t the panacea that many are desperately hoping they will be. And that, even after more people get the shots, we’ll still have to wear masks and stay a respectful six feet apart from each other.
First, there’s the question of efficacy. Yes, Moderna and Pfizer reported that their shots are 94.5% and 95% effective, respectively. But that efficacy refers to the vaccines’ ability to protect against COVID-19 disease—and not necessarily against infection with the virus. Both of the rigorous trials to test the vaccines were designed to measure COVID-19 illness—trial volunteers were randomly given either the vaccine or a placebo, and then asked to report any symptoms of COVID-19 they experienced, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath or muscle aches. The study researchers then determined whether or not to test them. If people tested positive, they were logged as a confirmed COVID-19 case, and the researchers then looked at the group of COVID-19 cases and compared how many people had been vaccinated versus how many had gotten placebo. The effectiveness measured whether these people went on to develop more symptoms of COVID-19.
That means that people who are vaccinated are not necessarily immune to getting infected; but they are more likely to experience fewer symptoms and not get as sick as those who aren’t vaccinated.
That’s still a huge advantage over the virus, since severe COVID-19 sends people to the hospital where they may need intensive care and ventilators to breathe. The more people who can experience milder symptoms and recover at home, the less burden on the health care system and the less exposure that health care workers will have to the virus, which all contributes to better control of the pandemic. However, because the vaccines do not necessarily protect against infection, that means that public health measures such as wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding indoor gatherings are still critical to containing the virus.
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It’s likely that the majority of the American public won’t be vaccinated until next spring at the earliest. That means that the ultimate goal in controlling the pandemic, herd immunity, likely won’t happen until well into next year, when enough people are vaccinated and can ward off serious illness... Only by vaccinating millions of people, and monitoring how their immune systems react, will experts get a better handle on what it takes to extinguish COVID-19 or at least make it much more difficult for it to spread.
https://time.com/5913113/covid-19-vaccine/
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