I've had the vaccine. How long does it take to be effective?
BOARD I've had the vaccine. How long does it take to be effective?
SUPER [Dr. Michael Gardam
Director of Infection Disease Prevention and Control]
Dr. Michael Gardam: So, once you've been vaccinated usually it takes about 10 to 14 days to develop antibodies, and at that point you are then very well protected against getting H1N1.
No treatment in the world is 100%, so the adjuvanted vaccine that we're using right now, the numbers suggest that it is at least 90% effective, which is extremely good.
That being said, after getting my vaccine, if I was around a whole bunch of people that were coughing up a storm, I would still be washing my hands and I would still be trying to avoid them.
The other point, of course, is that maybe they don't have H1N1. There's lots of other viruses - that while they're not circulating yet - but as we get into the winter they will start to circulate. Viruses like corona viruses, and RSV, para-influenza viruses that look just like the flu.
So, even though you got your flu-shot, you can't always assume that that person coughing in front of you actually has the flu that you were vaccinated against. So, what I would suggest that you do, is do the same stuff that you've always been doing: wash your hands, get them to cough into their sleeve, if they're in the workplace coughing a lot, tell them to go home.
BOARD [ontario.ca/flu]
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