PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — There is a great deal of misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine and masks.
With so much information circulating out there, even those with the best intentions can get confused.
Here are some key points: First, the vaccines were designed to significantly reduce the severity of infection — things like hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and deaths. They help prevent spread, but that is just a bonus.
So, it is not unexpected that people who are vaccinated can get COVID-19, especially in areas where vaccination rates are low and the virus thrives.
Masks do not eliminate spread, but they do reduce it. As long as people are not vaccinated, it is the best way to keep them from the risk of getting very sick.
Think of the unvaccinated world like the world we had before vaccines. Masks and social distancing provide the greatest protection for the unvaccinated.
KYW Newsradio’s Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.