The United States is approaching collective immunity almost two months after the launch of the COVID-19 vaccine, with more than one million Americans being vaccinated each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But with a large part of the population still waiting to be vaccinated and with doubts about asymptomatic spread, immunized Americans are asking themselves: is it safe to leave the house and live a pre-pandemic lifestyle?
Not yet, experts say.
Getting the vaccine is not a “free pass” to “set aside all public health measures” that authorities have reiterated since the pandemic began, Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN city hall in January.
“We don’t want people to think that just because other public health recommendations have been vaccinated, they simply don’t apply,” said the country’s leading infectious disease expert.
But, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Each vaccination brings the United States closer to collective immunity and closer to easing restrictions and returning to normal, health experts say. Until then, social gatherings and trips without protective measures can compromise how quickly this can happen.
What the data says about the COVID vaccine, social gatherings and travel
The data shows that small meetings drive transmission, as people tend to relax safety precautions – such as masking and social detachment – around close friends and family, said Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
Even when a person is vaccinated, it takes up to two weeks to achieve maximum immunity and no vaccine offers full protection.
Recent data also shows that the COVID-19 vaccines may be less effective against new variants of the coronavirus, specifically one that originated in South Africa. On Wednesday, the US reported 932 cases of the UK variant and nine cases of the variant South Africa, according to CDC data. The agency said the UK variant, called B.1.1.7, could become the dominant strain in March.
Colleges in the United States canceled spring break to discourage students from traveling, after celebrations around the same time last year led to an outbreak of coronavirus infections in the summer.
Traveling is one of the fastest ways to spread the coronavirus, experts say, and unfortunately we still don’t know whether the COVID-19 vaccine protects against transmission.
Although studies show that vaccines are effective against symptomatic diseases, researchers are still learning their impact on asymptomatic infection. For this reason, health officials warn against non-essential travel, even after vaccination.
“It is possible that you get infected, have no symptoms and still have viruses in your nasal pharynx,” said Fauci during the city hall. It is possible that, while carrying this virus, someone transmits it to other travelers, family members or friends.
“We are in a race between vaccines and a race with the virus, and it is a time when there are many unknowns,” said El-Sadr.
How can I safely attend social gatherings after being vaccinated?
Although some states have already begun to lift COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants, weddings and even indoor entertainment, health experts say it is too early to attend unprotected social gatherings.
After a year of pandemic restrictions, Americans are eager to leave home, said El-Sadr. But she urges Americans to continue to mask and distance themselves socially.
“Whatever you were doing the day before the vaccination, you will continue to do the day after the vaccination,” said El-Sadr.
If people need to get together, they must minimize the risk by staying outside, wearing a mask and social detachment, said Dr. Sarita Shah, an associate professor in the department of global health, epidemiology and infectious diseases at Emory University.
“We can get together in these small groups using these security steps that we all know will work,” she said.
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Although taking the COVID-19 vaccine does not mean a sudden return to pre-pandemic methods, it can mean less anxiety and more individual freedoms.
Experts disagree about the exact amount of freedom, but Dr. Vinay Prasad, associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California at San Francisco, argues that there is little risk of dining with a vaccinated friend indoors or hugging fully immunized grandparents .
Nothing in this world comes with 0% risk, he adds, but it is possible to dramatically decrease the risk by being vaccinated. After that, it is up to the individual to assess their own comfort at risk.
“Nobody is pursuing a zero-risk life. In fact, this is a mirage, ”said Prasad in an opinion piece on Medpage Today. “Instead, we all want reasonable security.”
How can I travel safely?
Spring travel may 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 on the rise and visiting loved ones who are vulnerable to serious illnesses and have not been vaccinated.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order in his early days in office demanding masks on flights, trains and buses. The Transportation Security Administration announced last week that it will recommend fines ranging from $ 250 to $ 1,500 for people who do not comply with the new transport mask order.
The CDC issued guidelines on Wednesday recommending wearing a surgical mask under a cloth mask or knotting surgical masks to prevent air from leaking from the sides.
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Shah does not expect coronavirus cases to rise dramatically as they did after the holidays, as more Americans will be vaccinated and the warmer climate will prompt people to hold meetings outside.
“On Memorial Day, we will have a different scenario,” she said. “The first and best thing is that it is hotter and people are going to be outside. This greatly reduces the risk. “
When will things go back to normal?
Biden’s administration is in the process of administering 100 million doses of vaccine in 100 days. But even after meeting that goal, the United States will still be far from achieving collective immunity, said CDC director Rochelle Walensky.
“It will take a while to feel that we are back to a sense of normalcy,” she said during CNN’s mayoral office. “After vaccinating 100 million Americans, we will have another 200 million to vaccinate.”
The US vaccination schedule is constantly fluctuating as vaccine delivery strategies change and the federal government works to ensure more doses, experts say. From now on, Americans can expect a degree of normalcy in late summer or early fall.
But health experts emphasize that this schedule may change for the better or for the worse and beg Americans to be flexible and patient.
“At this stage, we still have a lot of questions and we have very low coverage with these vaccines,” said El-Sadr. “I ask everyone to continue to be as cautious as they have been for their own protection, as well as for the protection of their loved ones.”
Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.
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This article was originally published in USA TODAY: Vaccine COVID: Can I see friends and family after being vaccinated?