Do not ignore these COVID prevention rules even if you have been vaccinated

25-01-2021

Vaccinations for COVID-19 have now begun in several countries around the world after leading candidates such as Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Moderna and others received emergency use authorizations from their respective regulatory bodies. The popular opinion of the general public is, that once they get their vaccines, life can go back to a pre-COVID world, wear masks, hand sanitizers, and social distancing were not the norms. However, as per experts, masks, sanitizers, hand hygiene, and avoiding large crowds must stay in place as they are, even as people begin getting vaccinated. According to reports, in places such as the UK where COVID vaccines were the first to roll out, officials have warned people to stay vigilant, and not violate COVID norms. The fines for flouting warnings have also not been removed.

Experts are worried people will flout COVID norms post vaccinations
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Experts are worried that people will start to ignore COVID restrictions as they get vaccinated. The police have also seen cases of people flouting lockdown measures. Britain is currently in a third lockdown after a sudden surge in cases and COVID deaths were reported. Researchers have warned that vaccines will take several weeks to be effective, and not following COVID norms during this time can put you as well as others at risk of infection. According to Professor Janet Lord, director of the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing at the University of Birmingham, �I would certainly advise not to do that at the moment because, as you probably know, with the vaccines they take several weeks before they are maximally effective.� �It's really important that people stay on their guard even if they've had that first vaccination,� she said, DailyMail reported. Most vaccines being used around the world are two-dose regimens, given a month apart. The vaccine efficacy reported in trials is after the second dose is effective. Since people have only received the first dose as of now, their immunity against the infection may not be as high. This makes it even more important to follow all COVID guidelines.

Some COVID restrictions that should not be done away with even after vaccinations:-
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1. People should continue to wear a face mask or face covering, even after they have received the first dose of the vaccine.
2. Social distancing norms should be followed in all public spaces.
3. Hand hygiene remains important as the transmission of not just COVID-19, but also other diseases is facilitated by infected hands.
4. Continuing to follow respiratory hygiene can help curb the spread of COVID-19, and other diseases as well.