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When we will be able to ditch the face masks?

An infectious disease specialist in St. Louis weighs in

ST. LOUIS — Most doctors will agree that mask fatigue is real, but they're also advising that it's not time to give up on them yet.

"The mortality rates are coming down," explained Dr. Mano Patri. "But these death rates are still pretty significant, so we have got to protect our people."

Dr. Patri is an Infectious Disease Specialist at St. Joseph Hospital in Lake St. Louis, but she spreads her time across several other hospitals in the SSM Health system. 

"What we don't want is the vaccine providing a false sense of security," Patri told 5 On Your Side. "The way to think about it, is the vaccine is part of our armor to protect us against this virus."

She said protection from COVID-19 doesn't come with just a shot or two.

"Any vaccine that you get, vaccine doesn't provide instant immunity. It takes time for the body to build it," she explained.

Dr. Patri is also keeping a close eye on additional data coming out from the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. She said the early trials were not tracking whether participants also were wearing masks. 

So, why is tracking mask wearing amongst vaccine trial participants important? Clinical trials showed the vaccine is effective in prevention, but additional health measures — like mask wearing and hand hygiene — may have added to their success.

For the time being, Dr. Patri believes there is not enough research to rely on the vaccine alone as a preventative measure.

She expects it will be some time before masks come off in public. Dr. Patri said with more vaccinations, along with keeping masks on and social distancing up, it will be a win if people can start to socialize with lower risk of viral spread. 

"I feel like it would be a compromise that people would be willing to accept," Dr. Patri said talking about wearing masks at entertainment venues and schools.

When it comes to the idea of herd immunity, Dr. Patri believes that level should be obtained by vaccination. She cited another infectious disease for her reasoning.

"For instance, for measles, it is one of the most infectious viruses out there. It took 95% of the population for us to achieve herd immunity."

While she cannot say for certain that COVID-19 will require the same statistics as measles to reach herd immunity, she is confident the measures people are taking now are working. Dr. Patri believes to stay ahead of COVID-19 people need to keep up with social distancing, mask wearing and hand hygiene, even if they have received a vaccine.

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