People in the UAE getting vaccinated with China’s Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine are being advised by doctors to continue wearing masks and practice social distancing protocols. Doctors are unsure to what extent the vaccine will be able to arrest spread of Covid-19 infection.

Last Thursday, Abu Dhabi rolled out its vaccination drive, followed by Dubai on Monday. The public response was overwhelming. Doctors have however, asked those vaccinated to continue following protective measures to protect those still not inoculated.

Dr Dirar Abdallah, a consultant of internal medicine and the chair of medicine at Prime Hospital in Dubai, said, “Those who have received the jab must not let their guard down. They should continue to wear masks and adhere to social distancing norms. A vaccinated person is protected to a greater extent from contracting a severe form of SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19. However, it’s unlikely to prevent the person from contracting a milder infection or even being asymptomatic.”

He added, “In such a scenario a person can infect others, who are yet to receive the jab. Perhaps, we may look at stop the use of masks after a large section of the population is vaccinated. There is still a high risk of the viral infection spreading from an inoculated person to a non-vaccinated person. Hence, it’s imperative to wear masks.”

Dr Abdallah said comparing the vaccine to annual Influenza vaccine, “We give flu vaccines to patients in a bid to prevent them from contracting a severe form of influenza and to avoid other complications that may even lead to death in some cases. If a flu-vaccinated person suffers from influenza, it will be mild and the patient is unlikely to require hospitalisation. A similar situation exists for a person, who has received the Sinopharm jab.”

Dr. Saheer Sainalabdeen, a respiratory medicine specialist at Medeor Hospital in Dubai, shared similar concerns of vaccinated people being possible contagion. He said, ““If you get vaccinated for Covid-19, it will probably prevent you from taking seriously ill due to the viral infection. But whether it will prevent the spread of infection from one person to another is still not clear. Only further studies will give us a sense about it.”

As Sinopharm vaccine has 90% efficiency, doctors maintain that it cant give 100% guarantee of providing protection against the infection.

Dr Kadambari Ramani, general practitioner, Aster Clinic, Al Nahda-Sharjah 1, said, “Efficacy of vaccines is usually tested by tracking the development of disease symptoms in a person exposed to SARS-CoV-2. However, developing the infection and being infected by the virus are two different aspects of the disease. Usually, the body responds to infections by producing antibodies. When a person is attacked by the same virus again, the body remembers it and produces more antibodies faster in a bid to destroy it.”

She added, “Vaccines work by mimicking the first infection. The body can generate a sufficient response of antibodies when attacked by the actual virus. Coronavirus enters the body through the nasal cavity and multiplies from there on. However, in vaccinated individuals, it is not yet known how quickly the body can mobilise the antibodies to reduce the viral load in the nasal cavity. Vaccines are efficacious enough to prevent manifestation of Covid-19, especially in moderate and severe disease forms. Be that as it may, a person can still carry Covid-19 in h/her nasal capacity and keep spreading it.”

Doctors also express their doubts regarding how long the immunity will last, as the vaccine is still in its last clinical trial phase.

Dr Mustafa Saif, a specialist in internal medicine and head of emergency Services at Aster Hospital in Mankhool, Dubai, said, “There is still uncertainty of the immune response generated by vaccines from one person to another as these all are new jabs. It is an open-ended question, whether immunisation is a one-time process or will be required on an annual basis.”

He added, “Influenza cases have significantly gone down because of wearing of masks.”