Got Your COVID-19 Vaccine? Here's What You Should Do Next

For the latest guidance on COVID-19 from the University, visit the UChicago Forward website.

As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout gains steam across the country, an increasing number of people are finding themselves with more protection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. But just because you’ve been fortunate enough to get a vaccine doesn’t mean you can return to your pre-pandemic lifestyle—at least not yet.

“Your new vaccine will protect you from serious disease and will very likely keep you from getting COVID-19 at all,” said Assoc. Prof. Emily Landon of the University of Chicago Medicine. “But you could still have a mild or asymptomatic infection and that could still set off a chain of infections and complications in others.” An infectious diseases physician who has become one of the state’s leading authorities on the pandemic, Landon stressed the importance of reaching “herd immunity,” which occurs once a high percentage of the population is immune—either from having had COVID-19 or getting the vaccine. In that situation, cases are low, and they stay low because there aren’t enough susceptible people who can pass the virus around. Until then, you’ll need to continue taking precautions (like wearing a mask and keeping distance) in certain situations. “Over the coming months, expect things to look more and more like ‘normal,’” Landon said, “but it won’t happen overnight and there may be bumps in the road along the way.” In the following Q&A, she discusses what you can do safely after being vaccinated, and the steps you should still take to protect yourself and others.

How effective is the COVID-19 vaccine?

Vaccines make you immune, not invincible. The COVID-19 vaccines that are currently available in the U.S. provide remarkable protection against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. But, like anything, they’re not 100% effective. Current data show the mRNA vaccines are about 94% to 95% effective. That means there’s still a chance people who’ve been fully vaccinated could contract COVID-19. While we know people who’ve been fully vaccinated won’t get as sick as they would have without a vaccine, you could still pick up a mild or asymptomatic case of COVID-19. If that happens, you’ll be able to spread virus to people who haven’t been vaccinated yet.

As the vaccine roll out continues and more and more people are vaccinated, the risk of catching a mild case or spreading it to someone else will decrease. We will also learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of the different vaccines in different situations.

When does full protection against COVID-19 take effect?

While the vaccines provide a high-degree of (but not total) protection from COVID-19, they also take time to reach their full level of protection. Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two doses, which need to be given in specific increments. The first dose offers good protection, but you won’t get the vaccine’s full and durable protection until two weeks after your second dose. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine only requires one dose, but it also needs time to reach its full protective power. Don’t consider yourself fully protected until two weeks have passed from your final vaccine (Pfizer and Moderna) or your only vaccine (Johnson & Johnson).

Since they’re so new, we don’t have data to say how long the vaccines’ protection lasts. But based on what we know about coronaviruses and mRNA vaccines, we think you may need a booster in the future; we don’t yet know when or how often.