The development and deployment of vaccines has brought us to a different place in dealing with the pandemic of COVID-19.
Manitowoc County Health Officer Stephanie Lambert was on WOMT’s “Be My Guest” program recently and discussed the issues. A caller complained that some health care workers are not getting the vaccine.
Lambert explained that there was a recent study that showed a 90 to 95 percent reduction in transmission. “Not only are you yourself not getting sick, but you’re not spreading the virus to others, and that’s how we’re gonna bring the end to the pandemic,” she said. “Especially if you’re working with the public, I strongly, strongly, strongly encourage you to get that vaccine.”
Another caller asked a question regarding the issue of what people can safely do after being vaccinated.
Lambert responded by saying, “You can be in the same room, non-masked et cetera, with anyone that’s vaccinated, and feel very comfortable. The chance of any transmission or illness there is so low you can feel comfortable doing that. You can also hang out with a smaller group of people that are not vaccinated, however, there is still a risk to the non-vaccinated people. And it’s discouraged if those non-vaccinated people are high risk for severe COVID-19.”
Lambert said it is not yet known how long the effectiveness of the vaccines will last, but that it is expected to be longer than immunity resulting from having had the disease.
