Currently, a third dose of vaccine is being administered to the high-risk population (immunosuppressed, etc.) to avoid coronavirus infection in these people. However, the usefulness and importance of continuing to use physical measures (masks, social distance, ventilation) to prevent contagion is hardly mentioned.
An article on this topic has been published in The Lancet of Infectious Diseases. It is known that the greater the amount of inoculum (coronavirus), the probability of becoming infected increases considerably. The same occurs with other viruses such as influenza, enteroviruses, etc. It is also known that the severity of COVID-19 is directly related to the initial amount of virus that infects the patient.
Importance of the use of the mask
The use of surgical masks by infected people has been shown to reduce the transmission of the coronavirus since the masks block the release of the virus into the air and in the same way, these masks protect people who use them against infection.
In addition, in a study carried out in the United States, it was found that there is a correlation between the universal use of the mask and the reduction of the need to implement restrictive measures such as confinement of the population that entail significant economic losses.
Social distance and accumulation of people
In relation to social distance, it has been shown that the less separation between people there is a higher concentration of coronavirus particles and therefore more probability of contracting COVID-19. On the other hand, it is very important to have good ventilation in closed spaces to reduce the possibility of infection.
Finally, it should be noted that hand-washing considerably reduces the amount of viruses on the hands.
In summary, since there are vaccinated people who do not develop an adequate immune response (immunosuppressed, elderly, etc.); the physical measures mentioned (use of a mask, social distance, ventilation and hand-washing) are powerful tools to avoid coronavirus infection and mitigate the severity of the disease.
Our recommendation is to maintain these physical measures, despite being vaccinated, until the end of the pandemic.
