However, it does not prevent people —even vaccinated ones— from carrying the virus and infecting others who have not been immunized, experts warned.
"The characteristic of the vaccine is to prevent sick people from becoming seriously and severely ill. That is, if I had to enter an intensive care unit, instead it would only give me fever, malaise, and that would be all. If someone sneezes near my face, I will not get sick, because I am vaccinated. However, I am going to carry the virus (and infect) other people,"
infectious disease specialist Leslie Soto explained in an interview with Andina news agency.
Likewise, Soto said that —as long as there are infection-free people— the virus will continue posing the risk of infecting said population.
"If I get vaccinated, I will have to keep wearing a face mask for a long time. I will stop using it whenever there is a large number of vaccinated people, because the vaccine won't prevent me from carrying the infection," he noted.
New variant
Similarly, he requested citizens to continue complying with constant hand washing and physical distancing measures.