- Can I still get COVID?
The vaccine gives an important protection to the immune system against the virus, you can still get infected, but the risk of becoming seriously ill is almost zero. When a vaccine is 95% effective like the Pfizer/BioNTech one, it means that 95% of people will not get sick, the other 5% maybe, but it will be very rare that they will be hospitalized.
2. Can I transmit the virus?
If you are infected the vaccine will not stop transmission completely, but it will decrease the amount of virus you spread through your mouth and nose, as well as the length of time you can spread it, making you less infectious overall. If the amount of virus in your body is very low the transmission risk is almost zero. Although scientists have not yet determined how low that amount should be. So vaccinated people should continue to wear a mask and keep their social distance.
3. Are we protected against new variants?
The vaccine may protect against new variants, but not completely. The Oxford/AstraSeneca vaccine protects up to 75% from severe infections of the new variant, and pharmaceutical companies are already working on improvements to the vaccines to take into account new strains that may appear. However, the current vaccines should reduce cases of severe disease and deaths in the short term, thus reducing the chances of mutation.
SOURCE: WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM 3 key questions about the COVID-19 vaccine - answered. https://buff.ly/389f6gw