In the long months of the COVID-19 pandemic, our shining hope in the quest to return to ‘normal’ has been the vaccine. Since FDA approval and steadily increasing use of three major vaccines from Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna, the U.S. has now reached a total of 34% of its population being fully vaccinated. This has led to more talks and theories about when everything will be back to ‘normal’. The reason the word ‘normal’ is in quotation marks, is because whether we wish it didn’t or not, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our definition of normal permanently.
What we used to define as ‘normal’ included being in public spaces, indoor or outdoor, with any number of people without a mask on. While increasing the number of vaccinated people will loosen and lessen mask mandates, there will still be a risk. Especially indoors, it is easier to spread COVID-19, and when you are unsure whether the people around you are vaccinated, it can pose significant risk. Even if we get to the herd immunity mark, there is still risk because of a multitude of reasons, including the uneven vaccine rollout, uncertainty in how long the protection from the vaccines last, and the rise of new variants of the virus that may be more contagious and require a higher threshold for herd immunity. These combined factors, while many people are eager to ignore them to return to normalcy, can lead to a possible future resurgence of COVID-19, however on a much smaller scale. Either way, there is still risk associated with COVID-19 that will be prevalent long after the supposed 70% herd immunity threshold has been reached.
Even with these risks (that should be taken seriously), the vaccine will help lessen restrictions nationwide. Already, the CDC has stated that fully vaccinated people are allowed to not wear their masks indoors or outdoors, and they do not have to quarantine after a known exposure. Additionally, there are also guidelines on a state by state basis that may be lessened after a certain percentage of people have been vaccinated, such as Pennsylvania’s rule that once 70% of residents are vaccinated, the mask mandate will be lifted. This 70% mark of vaccinated individuals is referred to as the herd immunity mark, which is a measure that disease experts say we will have to reach to mostly eliminate the spread of COVID-19. Even with all these restrictions being lessened, it is still extremely important to be conscious of your safety and the safety of those around you. Because evidence is inconclusive on how much the vaccine protects immunocompromised people, it is still imperative for fully vaccinated people to wear their masks around immunocompromised or otherwise at-risk individuals, whether or not the other person is fully vaccinated. Even being fully vaccinated cannot completely protect those who have underlying conditions, so mask-wearing is still important.
The CDC’s recent decision as well to allow fully vaccinated people to not wear their masks in indoor or outdoor settings has caused a lot of loosening of restrictions. Since this announcement, many businesses including corporations such as Walmart have announced that fully vaccinated individuals will not have to wear masks in their stores. This is a massive step towards returning to normalcy, although some people have questions about how these new loosening of restrictions will be enforced. While it is assumed that an individual’s vaccination card will need to be provided upon entrance, there will undoubtedly be a transition period as people get used to it, and some may attempt to bypass this if they are unvaccinated but do not want to wear a mask. It will be an important issue in the coming months, and as the U.S. and other vaccinated nations move forward, it will be of utmost importance to still protect citizens while still allowing a loosening of restrictions.
With more people getting vaccinated, there have also been other concerns about vaccine hesitancy among the population. To all those with questions or concerns about the vaccine, are urged to address this with your doctor or other health professionals, or consult other reputable sources online, including the CDC. Use caution and critical thinking when determining whether a source concerning the vaccine is reliable and has good information, as misinformation is spread much more quickly than the truth. If you are fully vaccinated yourself, take time to discuss this with a friend or family member who may be more hesitant about getting the vaccine. Address their concerns and have a respectful and helpful conversation with them, and try to show them that the vaccine is not something to be scared of. If we all work together to combat misinformation, this will help us all increase the number of vaccinated people, and help better protect everyone, in Pennsylvania and nationwide.
While it may seem that we are still too far away from normal, we are getting closer and closer every day. With more numbers of people getting vaccinated, as a nation, we are getting closer to our herd immunity mark. The end of virtual events and mask acne may be upon us soon, but only if we all take the utmost precaution in keeping ourselves and others safe. Be a responsible citizen. Get vaccinated. Protect yourself, and protect your family.
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