Someone asked me, “If I get both doses of the COVID vaccine, am I safe to go to the Indy 500?” The science says that the vaccine will prevent you from getting COVID in the community 95 times out of 100 if you are an average responder. Hard to predict who will not be protected. 1/

Right now, prevalence of COVID is high, meaning you are more likely to be exposed than say, 2 mo ago. As more people are infected (and vaccinated) espec by May, the prevalence should go down. That means you have even less chance of getting infected if you’re a nonresponder. 2/

So, it’s really a personal decision. Are you okay with taking a 5% chance (or possibly less if later) of getting infected? Unless we are drawing COVID titers on everyone, there’s no way to guarantee immunity of any one person. But it will certainly be safer by May than now. 3/

That is, of course, if as many people get vaccinated as soon as possible. That’s really the key to freedom here. Because although my vaccine protects me (if I respond), it also protects you if you choose to forgo it because I’m one less person you may be exposed to. 4/

But your vaccine protects me, too, because if you respond, you’re one less person who can infect me. And that’s how herd immunity works. It protects the (hopefully) small number of non-responders and people who cannot take the vaccine for medical reasons. LET’S DO THIS! /End

Also, studies showed 95% efficacy 28 days after the 2nd vaccine. So you do in fact need to continue to mask/distance, etc during that time frame at a minimum.