{"id":173594,"date":"2021-02-09T00:33:20","date_gmt":"2021-02-08T21:33:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/can-two-people-whove-been-vaccinated-hug-each-other\/"},"modified":"2021-02-09T00:33:20","modified_gmt":"2021-02-08T21:33:20","slug":"can-two-people-whove-been-vaccinated-hug-each-other","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-two-people-whove-been-vaccinated-hug-each-other\/","title":{"rendered":"#Can two people who’ve been vaccinated hug each other?"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Can two people who’ve been vaccinated hug each other?<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n Vaxx Populi: Theoretically, the answer to the question should be a qualified yes, but new information\u2014especially about the new variants\u2014have experts counselling caution\n <\/div>\n
\n \u201cCan I hug my mom if we\u2019re both vaccinated?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of the most common questions that Dr. Tara Moriarty gets during <\/span>the daily Zoom sessions<\/span><\/a> that she and other expert volunteers have hosted since early January to answer questions about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. It\u2019s also personal. Moriarty is the designated caregiver for her mother who is in a dementia ward of a retirement home. As more long-term care residents and their essential caregivers are vaccinated, they represent the first large group of Canadians who can dream of hugging each other, unencumbered by distancing rules or layers of PPE.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0Novavax\u2019s vaccine will be produced in Canada. What do we know about it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Theoretically, the answer to the question should be a qualified yes, as the two app<\/a>roved COVID-19 vaccines in Canada, from Pfizer and Moderna, are around 95 per cent protective against symptoms of COVID-19. (On Dec. 11, after the Pfizer vaccine had been approved for use in Canada, Moriarty, who runs an infectious diseases research laboratory at the University of Toronto, <\/span>tweeted her hope<\/span><\/a> for what life would be like after both she and her mother were fully vaccinated: \u201c<\/span>I\u2019ll be able to hold her when she cries, sleep over, be the daughter she needs.\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

But now, new information about the vaccines, the disease itself and its new variants have changed Moriarty\u2019s answer to the \u201chug\u201d question since that optimistic tweet in December. At least for the time being, hugs may be a step too far, especially if one of those in the embrace is elderly. \u201cIt is kinda heartbreaking,\u201d Moriarty says, \u201cEveryone\u2019s been looking forward to hugging.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0How much protection does the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine provide?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In the past weeks, \u201ca lot of the data came out in a storm and\u2026it took a while for all the different layers to sink in,\u201d says Moriarty, who is also involved in <\/span>Science Up First<\/span><\/a>, a social media<\/a> effort by experts to stop the spread of COVID-19 misinformation that has already reached 13 million users since mid-January. \u201cWe don\u2019t know if these vaccines will prevent the spread of the virus [to other people],\u201d she explains. \u201cWe cannot afford to be wrong. Say the first people who are vaccinated are in LTC homes and retirement settings\u2014if we let our guard down and there are people who did not develop a good immune response or were not vaccinated, we could still be facing serious issues with spread [to those without full immunity].\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The other huge question revolves around the new variants, especially those from Britain, South Africa and Brazil, which are fast becoming dominant strains around the world, and which are gaining growing footholds in Canada.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0Should I be wearing two masks?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201c<\/span>I think the thing that may change the assessment of whether vaccinated individuals in a [non-public] setting can interact normally is whether or not there are variants of concern in the community,\u201d<\/span> Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases physician in Edmonton,<\/span> explains in an email to <\/span>Maclean\u2019s<\/span><\/i>. \u201cA specific mutation may increase the likelihood of re-infection after natural infection\u2026and also might decrease the likelihood of fully protective vaccine efficacy. <\/span>So if you were in a place that is either not screening adequately for variants, but there\u2019s active transmission\u2014or if there\u2019s known to be variants of concern in the community\u2014staying cautious with distancing and masking likely would be preferred.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Saxinger, who, like Moriarty, was more optimistic about the possibility of hugging back in mid-December, also thinks there should be enough data released in the coming weeks to \u201cseriously change our idea of vaccine effectiveness in real life.\u201d Moriarty concurs. \u201cWe will know more in the spring, and we can make better decisions.\u201d Indeed, early data from Israel, which is far ahead of the rest of the world in vaccinating its most vulnerable populations, <\/span>suggests that the Pfizer vaccine does indeed reduce viral loads<\/span><\/a> and thus protects against spreading infection to others.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0COVID-19 in Canada: How our battle against the second wave is going<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cCan you hang on for a few more months, and then we\u2019ll almost certainly have data to make a decision?\u201d Moriarty asks of the essential caregivers among the 3,000 people who have taken part in her COVID-19 vaccine safety Zoom calls. The near universal reaction has been, \u201cYeah, we can do it; what\u2019s a few more months at this point,\u201d she recounts. Still waiting for her first dose, Moriarty wears full PPE when visiting her mother, who has received both doses.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Canada rolls out the country\u2019s most complex vaccination project to date,\u00a0<\/em>Maclean\u2019s\u00a0presents\u00a0<\/em>Vaxx Populi, an ongoing series<\/a> in which Patricia Treble tackles the most pressing questions related to the new COVID-19 vaccines. Send us a question you\u2019d like answered at\u00a0vaccines@macleans.ca.\u00a0If you have specific questions about your own health, we recommend consulting a family doctor or the local public health authority in your area.<\/em>
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