Maximum Protection Period?

Health & Diet Health & Diet: In The News
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1

I don’t understand why this is so:

Experts say research showing a waning efficacy of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines means a sluggish rollout could equate to more circulation of the virus when the states eventually open up, putting the vulnerable at risk.

Deakin University chair of epidemiology Catherine Bennett told the ABC the first couple of months after vaccination was the “maximum protection period” and the population was “less likely” to pass on the virus.

I would have thought that the later you are vaccinated the better but there must be other reasons for this.I realise that there are a couple of weeks after vaccination before the immune system is at its peak in protecting you but I don’t think this is what they are talking about.

Do you have any idea why this might be?

2

I think they’re talking about the risk to the community, not to the individual. If everyone (100%*) was vaccinated at the same time, then everyone would have immunity, and the virus would die out because there would be no one to live in.

If the rollout is staggered, then there’s always a high proportion of people who don’t have immunity, and people can be passing the virus back and forth between them.

*just in theory, 100% couldn’t really happen. But I don’t think it needs to be 100% to die out either. The Spanish flu eventually dissipated.