AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, as many anti-Covid vaccines, put on the market in recent months and offered to the population. While the vaccination campaign, initiated in the country in December 2020, started slowly, due to the delay in receiving doses, which are missing in many vaccination centers, it is accelerating today, with 61.47% of French people having received at least a first dose and 51.41% having had both doses.
–
Some, after being vaccinated, would be tempted to relax the barrier gestures, thinking they have total immunity and can no longer be contaminated and transmit it. However, what about? Does the vaccine prevent catching and transmitting Covid?
–
Does the vaccine protect me from Covid?
It’s obvious. Being vaccinated confers more protection against the Covid-19 virus than not being vaccinated at all. According to studies that have been carried out to date, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine would, for example, be more than 96% effective, or even 100% in adolescents under the age of 16. Furthermore
–
However, even though it gives a high level of protection, the vaccine is not foolproof against the virus. An adult may have had both doses of the vaccine dispensed and still be infected with the virus.
–
Vaccinated, can I transmit the Covid?
Yes. A note of the Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES), recently revealed that 6% of new cases recorded from June 28 to July 4 in France concerned people who were fully vaccinated. It is certainly not much, but these vaccinated people can however be carriers of the virus, without knowing it, especially if they have not been tested. Therefore, they can also pass it on. But, because of the vaccine which makes them produce antibodies, their viral load is lower than in the unvaccinated, so their potential for contamination is lower than in the unvaccinated.
–
When is my vaccination reliable?
Vaccination does not offer immediate protection. As with most vaccines, it takes some time after administration for it to be fully effective. Indeed, the immune system needs a minimum of time to optimize its defenses against the virus. This time may be different from person to person, depending on general health, medical history, etc.
–
The majority of vaccines available to date must be injected a second time with a set timeframe: three to four weeks for the messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, and two to three months for the adenoviral vector vaccine from AstraZeneca. . After the injection of the second dose, you still have to wait for maximum protection. French health authorities recommend waiting at least seven days for the vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca, and four weeks for the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.
–
After this delay following the second dose of the vaccine, you are infinitely less likely to be infected without knowing it and to transmit the virus.
—
