Vanderbilt Doctor says COVID transmission is still possible even after vaccine

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -David Aronoff is an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University. He’s been a part of administering vaccines around the Nashville area, and has done extensive research into the vaccine, how the virus spreads, and case numbers throughout this pandemic. Right now, he’s urging caution even after you get your COVID vaccine, as eligibility statewide expands to anyone 16 or older on April 5th.

Aronoff says that even after the vaccine it could take up to two weeks for your body to have enough antibodies to fight and prevent the virus. Even if you don’t get sick, he says you can still spread covid saying, “We don’t fully know how contagious vaccinated people are after they’ve been infected it is likely not zero, but it doesn’t have to be zero for the vaccine to get us out from under the pandemic”.

While those odds of infection and spreading covid post vaccination are still a possibility, it’s justified according to Aronoff to feel some level of relief when you get your vaccine due to the high percentage of protection it gives someone. While more and more people get their vaccine, more are also feeling safe enough to take flight at the McGhee Tyson Airport according to spokesperson Caitlin Darras. She says there’s been a steady uptick in passengers lately around the Spring Break time.

As many are in hope of a maskless summer like 2019, for now Caitlin says all people that enter the airport must wear a mask at all times, and at all time during the flight regardless if you’ve gotten the vaccine or not.

Aronoff says he’s asking people to get the vaccine saying that it’s the next step into getting life back to what it was over a year ago, but it’ll take cooperation from Tennessee communities as he continues to track the path of this pandemic.

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