Things you can and cannot do if you have been vaccinated: Travel, Collections, risk factors, what you need to know

So what should and shouldn’t you do? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to issue guidelines soon. “We are taking the time to get this right and will issue the guidance shortly,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky said on Friday. “We want to make sure the communication is clear.”

In the meantime, other experts are partially divided. Some people say that vaccines can and should have much more freedom, and believe that it is important to emphasize that to encourage more people to get vaccinated. Others are more conservative, saying it is too early to issue too many warnings without more definitive data on the effectiveness of vaccines against new changes and the potential risk of vaccines being spread. virus to non-vaccinated people.

Most agree that we are closer to herd immunity – when the vast majority of the population is protected by vaccination or natural infection so that the virus cannot spread easily – mask wear, speed social and avoidance of indoor gatherings should be a common practice of public spaces.

“Especially for those months where vaccine coverage is low, we are still learning about the variables, and we still need to know about this spread, the public health messages are to sustain these behaviors,” says Chris Beyrer, professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “So we can get out of here. We are not out yet. ”

Here are some tips from scientists on how to assess the risks.

Is it OK for vaccinated people to meet other people who have been vaccinated?

Most experts agree that once they are fully vaccinated – two weeks after your second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or about a month after the Johnson & Johnson shot – it is safe to meet indoors with others who are fully vaccinated without mask or distance. But collections should be small.

Gathering with other people who received the vaccine is “scientifically safe,” says Paul E. Sax, clinical director of the infectious diseases department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Nothing is 100% effective but “gathering with other vaccines is very close,” he said.

“I don’t think people should run to a crowded bar where people are shouting at each other,” he said. “But the kind of socialism that is part of human nature and has been imprisoned for so many people – that can resume.”

The larger the group, the greater the interaction, as you can’t confirm that everyone is getting the vaccine and you don’t know what the exposures are, says Leana Wen, an emergency physician and professor of public health at George Washington University in Washington, DC, “I’m talking about one couple or maybe two more couples,” says Dr. Wen.

Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, is so conservative, saying that vaccinated individuals should feel more comfortable. “They can have dinner parties. They can go to restaurants. They can go to the movies, ”she says. But she notes that even vaccinated people must follow mask and speed requirements in these public conditions in order to reach herd protection.

What if the adults are vaccinated but the children are not?

There is currently no authorized vaccine for children and teenagers under 16 years of age. “This is one of the issues that families need to get involved with and be sensible about,” says Dr. Beyrer.

There is a big difference between young children and teenagers or teenagers in terms of both the spread of the virus as well as the spread of the disease, Dr. Sax says. Teenagers receive and distribute Covid-19 in the same way as young adults, while younger children do not get symbolic disease as often and are less likely to spread as much. “Every family and group of friends is going to make decisions based on their own risk tolerance,” says Dr. Sax.

Individuals and their families should be more careful, as vaccines in general may not be as effective in them, says Dr. Sax.

Dr Wen says she recommends that families continue to be cared for at playtimes when the adults are vaccinated but the children are not. “If these families are also connecting with other families, that’s a dangerous situation that I wouldn’t recommend at this time,” said Dr Wen of internal gatherings. “They could be asymptomatic carriers and then pass it on to their children. And if the children are in school or in day care, more could spread from there. ”

What ‘s the latest on whether vaccines can spread the virus to unvaccinated people?

Recent studies have found that the vaccine reduced asymptomatic infections by more than 80% compared to unvaccinated individuals with low and potentially non-infectious nasal viral loads, Dr. Gandhi said. But other experts say the evidence is predictive and more conclusive evidence is needed. And new changes raise additional questions about the effectiveness of vaccines.

What actions should I prioritize after receiving the vaccine?

Schedule any routine medical and health appointments you have missed, Dr. Wen says. Get your colonoscopy, mammogram or dental cleanse. Register for elective surgery. “You should restart anything like that because you are well protected,” says Dr Wen.

What about travel?

Once you get the vaccine, there is a lower risk of traveling alone, says Dr Wen, like staying at a hotel or going to restaurants, as long as you follow safety protocols. But also be careful about how you meet people once you reach your destination, she said, especially if they are not getting vaccinated or living in an area that has high transmission.

Is it safe for my older parents to travel to visit?

If grandparents are now fully vaccinated, it should be safe for them to travel to visit. “Travel itself is at very low risk,” said Dr Wen. “If they follow steps such as wearing a mask, the risk of retaining the coronavirus and passing it on to the rest of the family is very low and the benefit is huge. People really want to see their families. “

But still emphasize the details of your situation. If you have an unvaccinated older teenager and a frail grandparent, consider more steps, says Gregory Poland, director of the Mayo Vaccine Research Group in Rochester, Minn.

What activities have a lower and higher risk, even after vaccination?

Vaccinated people can feel comfortable when performing quiet indoor activities where people need to be hidden and at a distance, such as visiting a barren museum, says Dr. Sax. Outdoor activities are even safer.

Higher risk situations include an indoor dinner, bars, gyms and houses of worship, where people sing and talk. “We don’t want to push what vaccines can do before case numbers fall,” said Dr Sax. He and his doctor’s wife are fully vaccinated but will not eat in restaurants until case and hospital numbers are significantly lower, he said.

– Byy McKay contributed to this article.

Write to Sumathi Reddy at [email protected]