Do I Have to Wear a Mask After Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine?
Another reason would be that the vaccines seem to have a high level of efficiency at preventing infections that come with symptoms, but they are not 100% effective. The Pfizer/BionTech vaccine involves two shots administered three weeks apart while Moderna’s vaccine will be administered in two doses, the second at an interval of 4 weeks after the first. The vaccine’s effect will not be immediate; therefore, you might still be at risk of catching or spreading the virus. Hence the need to continue wearing a mask.
“This is the main reason why we can’t stop wearing masks right after we get the vaccine,” pointed out Leana Wen, M.D., an emergency physician and visiting professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington Universit. “The vaccine will protect you from getting ill and then ending up hospitalized. But it’s possible that you could still carry the virus and be contagious to others. So those who get the vaccine should still be wearing masks and practicing physical distancing.”
See also what experts had to say about another very important question: If I’ve Already Had COVID-19, Do I Still Need the Vaccine?