Our Health: Don't ditch the face masks just yet The Telegraph FacebookTwitterEmail Hippler Across the country, people are anxiously waiting for life to return to pre-pandemic normalcy. Vaccines are one of our most important tools in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and early indicators show us that that these vaccines are effective at preventing illness, severe disease and death. However, for those who receive the vaccine, experts say it’s not time to relax pandemic protocols; don’t ditch the face masks just yet. Dr. Stephen Hippler is the chief clinical officer for Peoria-based OSF HealthCare. He says more research is needed to see if vaccinated people can still become infected without symptoms, allowing them to spread the virus to others who have not been vaccinated yet.