According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the U.S. is nearly two months closer to the herd immunity of the COVID-19 vaccine, and more than one million Americans are being vaccinated.
But with a large portion of the population still waiting to be vaccinated and questions surrounding asymptomatic distribution, vaccinated Americans are wondering: is it safe to leave home and live a pre-pandemic lifestyle?
Not just yet, experts say.
Getting the vaccine is not a ‘free pass’ to recall officials who set aside ‘public health measures’ since the start of the pandemic, Drs. Anthony Fauci said in a CNN City Hall speech in January.
“We do not want people to think that other recommendations for public health simply do not apply,” said the country’s leading expert on infectious diseases.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Each expert said that each vaccination brings the U.S. closer to herd immunity and closer to easing restrictions and returning to normal. Until then, social gatherings and travel without protective measures can jeopardize how quickly this can happen.
What the data says about the COVID vaccine, social gatherings and travel
Data shows that small gatherings cause transmission, as people tend to relax safety measures – such as masking and social distance – around good friends and family, said Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, said.
Even when someone is vaccinated, it takes up to two weeks to reach maximum immunity, and no shot offers total protection.
Recent data also show that the COVID-19 vaccines may be less effective against new coronavirus variants, specifically one that originated in South Africa. According to the CDC, as of Wednesday, the US has reported 932 cases of the British variant and nine cases of the South African variant. The agency said the British variant, called B.1.1.7, could become the dominant strain by March.
Colleges in the U.S. canceled the spring break to discourage students from traveling after celebrations around the same time last year led to a summer surge of coronavirus infections.
Travel, according to experts, is one of the fastest ways to spread the coronavirus, and unfortunately we do not yet know whether the COVID-19 vaccine protects against transmission.
While studies show that the vaccines are effective against symptomatic diseases, researchers are still studying their impact on asymptomatic infection. For this reason, health officials warn against unnecessary travel, even after they have been vaccinated.
“You could conceivably become infected, get no symptoms and still have virus in your throat,” Fauci said during City Hall. It is possible that someone could transmit it to other travelers, family or friends during the virus.
“We are in a race between the vaccines and a race with the virus, and this is a moment in time where there are many unknowns,” El-Sadr said.
How can I safely attend social gatherings after being vaccinated?
While some states are already beginning to lift COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants, weddings and even indoor entertainment, health experts say it is too early to attend social gatherings without protection.
After a year of pandemic restrictions, the Americans are eager to get out of the house, El-Sadr said. But she calls on Americans to keep masking and social distance.
“Whatever you did the day before you were vaccinated, you go on with the day after you are vaccinated,” El-Sadr said.
If people have to get together, they must limit the risk by being outside, wearing a mask and taking social distance, said dr. Sarita Shah, associate professor at the Department of Global Health, Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases at Emory University, said.
“We can get together in these small groups using these safety steps that we all know,” she said.
Double masking: Protect yourself from COVID variants
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Although the COVID-19 vaccine does not suddenly return to pre-pandemic ways, it may mean less anxiety and more individual freedoms.
Experts do not agree on exactly how much freedom, but dr. Vinay Prasad, an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco, argues that there is little risk of eating indoors with a friend who has been vaccinated or of embracing grandparents who have been vaccinated completely.
Nothing in this world has 0% risk, he adds, but one can drastically reduce the risk by being vaccinated. Thereafter, it is up to the individual to determine their own comfort.
“No one is chasing a zero-risk life. In fact, it’s a mirage, ” Prasad said in an opinion on Medpage Today. “Instead, we all want reasonable security.”
How can I travel safely?
Spring travel can be possible if it is done safely and travelers are aware of where they are going and who they are seeing. People should avoid traveling to an area where infections are increasing, and visiting loved ones who are vulnerable to serious diseases and are not vaccinated.
President Joe Biden in his early days signed an executive order to put on masks in flights, trains and buses. The Transport Security Administration announced last week that it would recommend fines of $ 250 to $ 1,500 for people who do not comply with the new transport mask order.
The CDC on Wednesday issued guidelines recommending wearing a surgical mask under a cloth mask or tying the surgical masks to prevent air from seeping through the edges.
Double masking: Protect yourself from COVID variants
Shah does not expect cases of coronavirus to increase dramatically as after the holidays, as more Americans will be vaccinated and warmer weather will force people to host gatherings outside.
“On Memorial Day, we’re going to have a different scenario,” she said. ‘The first and best thing is that it’s warmer and that people will be outside. This greatly reduces the risk. ”
When will things return to normal?
The Biden administration is on track to administer 100 million vaccine doses within 100 days. But even after this goal is reached, the US will still not achieve the immunity of herds for a long time, said Rochelle Walensky, director of CDC.
“It will take a while before we feel normal again,” she told CNN City Hall. “After we vaccinated 100 million Americans, we’re going to have another 200 million to vaccinate.”
The US vaccination timeline is constantly changing as the distribution of vaccines changes and the federal government works to ensure more doses, experts say. From now on, Americans can expect some normalcy in late summer or early fall.
But health experts stress that this timeline can change for the better or for the worse and that Americans can be flexible and patient.
“At this stage we still have so many questions and we have such low coverage with these vaccines,” El-Sadr said. “I urge everyone to be as careful as to protect their own as well as their loved ones.”
Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.
Health and Patient Safety Coverage in USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.
This article originally appeared in the US TODAY: COVID vaccine: can I see friends and family after being vaccinated?