Can I See Friends Without A Mask If We're Vaccinated? Dr. Mallika Marshall Answers Your COVID Questions
BOSTON (CBS) – Dr. Mallika Marshall is answering your coronavirus-related medical questions. If you have a question for Dr. Mallika, email her or message her on Facebook or Twitter.
Dr. Mallika is offering her best advice, but as always, consult your personal doctor before making any decisions about your personal health.
Nina asks, "Once I am fully vaccinated and have waited a full two weeks, can I get together with friends who are also equally vaccinated, without masks?"
If you're all fully vaccinated, then the risk of getting severe COVID is much less, but it's not zero. So, you'll have to decide what risk you're willing to take to get together with masks off. Some people don't want to take any risk while others are willing to take some to get together with close family and friends.
Annette writes, "My husband and I (ages 62 and 70) are in the process of being vaccinated. We have a son and daughter-in-law who are adamant they will NOT be getting vaccinated. Should we worry about resuming our contact with them? We want to feel safe."
This is a case where not everyone involved is vaccinated. And even though you and your husband are vaccinated, there still a chance you could get COVID-19. Again, you'll have to weigh the risks and benefits. Certainly, if you're at very high risk, you should probably continue to wear masks and keep socially distanced from your family.
Anna wants to know, "People keep saying if you don't have side effects [after the vaccine] it probably means the vaccine is not working. Is that true? And what medicines can you take should you have side effects of headache, chills, etc?"
It's not clear why some people have more side effects than others. While older people tend to have fewer side effects than younger people, there are plenty of young vaccine recipients who don't develop any side effects. Just because you don't develop side effects does not mean the vaccine isn't working or that your immune system is not mounting a good immune response. If you develop fever, headache, or other side effects, you can take over-the-counter pain relievers or fever reducers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Rachel says her 1-year-old daughter tested positive for COVID-19 on December 21. Last Sunday, she started to get a stuffy nose and now has an ear infection. She wonders if her daughter got a COVID test now would it be too soon? Would it still be positive from last time?"
After you have become infected with the coronavirus, you can continue to test positive for three months or even longer. If your daughter was infected at the end of December, it is unlikely that she has become reinfected with the coronavirus. There are other conditions and viruses that can cause nasal congestion, so please consult her pediatrician to discuss whether she needs to be seen and retested.
