A single dose of COVID-19 vaccine offers at least 80% protection against severe outcomes, including hospitalization and death. However, second doses are needed to get the best and most long-lasting protection.
You should get their second dose as soon as you become eligible. Received Your 1st Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine in March? You Can Book for the 2nd Dose Now.
- If you got an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) for your first dose, you should get an mRNA vaccine for your second dose to become fully vaccinated.
- If you got AstraZeneca for your first dose, you can choose either the AstraZeneca vaccine or an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer/Moderna) for your second dose.
- People who are profoundly immunocompromised and meet the eligibility criteria can book their second doses earlier.
Until more Albertans are protected, partially and fully vaccinated people must continue following all public health measures:
- no indoor social gatherings,
- keep 2 metres apart from others,
- wear a mask in public, and
- wash your hands, and stay home when sick.
Once both doses take effect, you are less likely to become severely sick with COVID-19. But we don’t yet know if the vaccine prevents vaccinated people from spreading the virus. We must continue reviewing emerging evidence on asymptomatic and variant transmission before we can safely alter public health guidelines.
Word of the Day:
Immunocompromised: (describing a person’s immune system) having low defenses and weaker in fighting off infections and diseases.
* Information in this post is based on the Alberta government’s website: https://www.alberta.ca/covid19-vaccine.aspx .on June 3, 2021
