Most St. Johns County residents who are 65 and older have been vaccinated, but that doesn't mean they should strip off their masks and stop taking precautions, health-care leaders said.
While the vaccine is bringing relief to thousands of people locally, safety measures are still necessary to protect oneself and others after getting vaccinated.
Dr. Nicole Iovine, chief epidemiology officer for the UF Health Shands Hospital system, said people should continue taking normal precautions following their vaccinations for a couple of reasons.
"We know that the vaccines currently available are highly effective. However, they're not 100%. I mean, nothing is really 100%, right? So there's still 5 or 6% of people who may still develop illness with COVID despite being vaccinated," she said. "And for people that might have compromised immune systems, we don't know, but that number might be higher."