You are vaccinated and so are several people in your immediate environment - are you allowed to go to work now and can you hang out with more friends? Maria Rotzén Östlund, infectious disease physician in the Stockholm Region, explains what applies to those who have received at least one dose of vaccine.

DISTANCE

I am fully vaccinated, do I have to keep my distance from those who are not?

We still have a very high infection rate, until we have brought it down, we should continue to keep our distance. Then you have personal security in that you have a low risk of serious illness and a low risk of death when you are vaccinated, especially three weeks after the first dose and then after the second dose.

GET OUT INDOORS

My friends and I have all received the first injection, no one is in a risk group - can we now spend more time indoors?

We are not quite there where we can socialize as usual again. If you meet a few people just in the social bubble, you can feel safe, but this is not the time to push the boundaries. Since the infection rate is high, there is a small risk that someone is infected and then you can infect someone else. It is not always your friends who tell you that they belong to a risk group, so to be on the safe side, you should hold out and hold on for a while longer.

MOUTH GUARD

I am fully vaccinated, do I have to continue wearing a face mask on public transport?

We wear face masks out of consideration for others. It's not about yourself, it's about the small risk that you could spread the infection. No one knows who is vaccinated and who is not vaccinated or who has had the disease, so it's good that we all continue to wear face masks for a while longer.

SERIOUS ILLNESS

I have received the first dose, can I feel protected against serious illness?

The protective effect is very high against serious illness and death, so you have a large and good amount of protection. But there is no 100 percent vaccine and that is why we are a bit sad in this kind of infection situation, to avoid those who are vaccinated from becoming seriously ill, we will keep the recommendations for a while longer.

FIRST DOSE AND SECOND DOSE

Is there any difference in how protected I am between the first and second dose?

The first dose is given to provide initial protection against the disease, and then the second dose is given to provide longer-lasting protection. You have good protection after the first dose, but you get even more lasting protection after the second dose.

GO BACK TO WORK

I have received the first dose of vaccine, can I start working from the office?

There are several reasons why we work from home and one thing is that there should be no congestion on public transport or in the workplace, for example. It doesn't matter if you are vaccinated or not, you contribute to congestion just as much.

If there are more people in the coffee room, some may be vaccinated and some may not, and then it may become too crowded for those who are unvaccinated.

HOUSEHOLD CONTACT

I have received at least one dose but have had close contact with a person who has become ill with COVID-19, do I have to isolate myself?

No, a vaccinated household contact of an infected person is allowed to leave home and can also work from their workplace if they are not able to work from home.

The risk of being infected yourself is very small, but if you work in healthcare, you should still get tested before returning to work.

DOMESTIC TRAVEL

I have received at least one dose, is it okay for me to travel without risking burdening the healthcare system elsewhere?

The risk of contracting Covid has decreased significantly, but the region may have a difficult healthcare situation and then you may not want to be in the emergency room with a broken arm.

Source: svt.se