State Epidemiologist

Elizabeth Daly

Emerging data is showing that the Covid-19 vaccines are not only effective at preventing disease, but also preventing a vaccinated person from potentially infecting others, says State Epidemiologist Elizabeth Daly. (Screenshot)

As of April 1, anyone over 16 in New Hampshire has been eligible to sign up for the Covid-19 vaccine. With more Granite Staters getting vaccinated every day, the question of “now what?” remains. One person who has the answers is Dr. Elizabeth Daly, chief of bureau of infectious disease control at the New Hampshire Divisions of Public Health Services. Daly, who has worked at the division since 2004, has been its director since 2016.

Q. To start, what are some of the most common questions you’re hearing from people who’ve been vaccinated?

A. By and large the people who have chosen to get vaccinated to date are just grateful to have the opportunity to get vaccinated. They’re excited about what this could mean for the future in terms of lifting some restrictions and getting our lives back to normal. Now, some people have asked questions about how to make sure they get their second dose, although New Hampshire has not had an issue with providing second doses. People can simply go into their Vini account and make sure that they have that second dose scheduled. If you get that first dose, there will be a second dose waiting for you, and you can get that in the appropriate time frame.

The other thing people ask us about is what to expect in terms of side effects from the vaccine. Side effects are a normal part of the vaccination process. Your body is working and developing those antibodies. It’s reacting to the vaccine that you’ve been given.

Most people just have some redness, swelling and pain at the injection site. That’s very common with vaccines, but some people can also go on to develop fatigue, muscle, body aches and even a fever after vaccination. These symptoms generally should be mild and resolve on their own within a day or two, and they’re a good sign that your body’s hard at work.

Q. Can people who are vaccinated still transmit the virus? What do we know? What are the odds of that happening?

A. Some of the data from vaccinating the general public is starting to emerge, and what it’s showing is that these vaccines are very effective at preventing disease, but also preventing you from having this virus grow and live inside of your body and potentially infect other individuals. We think that not only does it decrease your own personal risk of acquiring illness, but also your potential risk, if you are exposed to Covid-19, of transmitting it to other individuals.

Q. Should people still wear masks once they’re vaccinated?

A. Given the high rate of transmission still occurring in our state, you do still need to wear a mask and social distance in public settings. There are some recommendations, though, for if you’re in a private setting and you’re just getting together with one other family or group. If all of those individuals are vaccinated, then you don’t necessarily have to wear a mask. You can make those types of decisions on your own with the small groups that you’re in, but out in public, you still need to take precautions.

The other good news is that if you have been fully vaccinated — and that means two weeks after your last dose of vaccine — you no longer have to quarantine for domestic travel. We do encourage you to make sure you’re meeting any requirements of the location you’re traveling to, but in terms of coming back here to New Hampshire, you do not need to quarantine after domestic travel if you’re fully vaccinated.

Q. Can we talk a little bit about the Covid-19 variants in New Hampshire relative to the vaccine? Is there any more increased risk than in the recent past? Talk us through the variance a little bit.

A. Currently, we are conducting surveillance for variant strains of Covid-19.

I think we’ve tested about 2,000 different specimens in our state so far, so not every specimen is getting tested, but we try to take a random sample, something reflective of the different locations in New Hampshire.

What we have found is that we do have some of these variant strains circulating in New Hampshire already. These are no longer being introduced or just coming from people who have traveled there, people here in New Hampshire who haven’t gone anywhere have these variant strains.

The predominant one that we’re seeing is that U.K. variant. This variant, fortunately so far, has not shown to result in any increased hospitalization and death, but it has been shown to be more transmissible, meaning that it can spread more easily to people. We’ve had over a hundred people who have been found to have this particular variant, so that just reinforces, for now, we do need to keep taking our Covid-19 precautions very seriously.

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