Dr. Camara Jones said there are a lot of questions about the COVID-19 vaccine that remain unanswered. It’s still not known, for example, whether some participants in the vaccine trials got the virus but remained asymptomatic, meaning they could still spread COVID-19 to other people, despite showing no symptoms.
“It’s possible that the vaccine could actually increase the number of asymptomatic spreaders that we have in the population,” Jones warned.
She also said that while the vaccine is being hailed as the “light at the end of the tunnel,” it’s still going to be a while before Americans can let their guard down. “It’s a very good thing, but it’s not going to be the answer even in six months,” Jones said of a coronavirus vaccine. “Right now, I am planning to keep my mask on for another year through December of 2021.” Jones, who was formerly the president of the American Public Health Association, spoke with the PBS NewsHour’s Amna Nawaz on Dec. 10 about the coronavirus outbreak and response in the U.S.
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