Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said that people who have received their first COVID-19 shot should continue to wear masks and take necessary precautions to avoid infection form the virus.

Speaking with CNBC, Gottlieb said his advice is especially important for older Americans who are at increased risk of complications from COVID-19.

“I think for an older individual who is vulnerable to the virus, certainly wait for a period of time after the second shot until you’re likely to have full protective immunity,” he said. “I don’t think people should feel completely secure after the first shot.”

Roughly 10.3 million people have received their first shots of either the Pfizer of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines that require a second booster shot a few weeks after the initial jab.

While U.S. coronavirus cases continue to soar, Gottlieb, who sits on the board of Pfizer, says “infection is everywhere.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to hibernate and have to avoid seeing family,” said Gottlieb, who led the FDA during the Trump Administration from 2017 to 2019. “Maybe you can lean forward in that regard but wear a mask. Be more careful in those interactions, because in a high-prevalent environment, you’re still at risk.”

Gottlieb said that by spring or summer, as more Americans get vaccinated, it may make more sense to relax these precautions. However, he warned that the virus variants that have already been identified here in the U.S. may change that track, according to CNBC.

Two new variants of COVID-19 discovered by Ohio State University researchers appear to spread more easily than the original virus and one of them has now become the dominant strain in Columbus, Ohio. They said that one of the new mutations of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is identical to the variant found in the U.K.

According to reports, the so-called “Columbus strain,” is unique to the U.S., and carries three mutations not found in SARS-CoV-2, the researchers stated in a press release.

“This new Columbus strain has the same genetic backbone as earlier cases we’ve studied, but these three new mutations represent a significant evolution,” said study leader Dr. Dan Jones, vice chair of the division of molecular biology, according to the press release. “We know this shift didn’t come from the U.K. or South African branches of the virus.”

Experts at the University said that the big question is if these mutations will render COVID-19 vaccines and therapies less effective. In the meantime. Gottlieb says it is prudent to keep your guard up and continue to follow precautionary guidelines.

“I don’t think masks are going to be mandatory next fall and winter if we can get the vaccination rate up and if these variants go away or don’t become prevalent,” he says, according to CNBC. “But I do think a lot of people will want to wear masks, and that’s OK.”