More than 27 million Americans fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will have to wait for guidance from federal health officials on what to do and what not to do.
The Biden government said on Friday that it is focused on getting the right guidance and accommodating emerging science, but the delays add to the uncertainty surrounding the end of the pandemic. as the fatigue of the virus in the nation increases.
“These are complex issues and science is evolving rapidly,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, on Friday. “We are making sure and taking time to get it right and we will be launching this guidance soon.”
This guidance would answer a barrage of questions from people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19: Do I still need to wear a mask? Can I go to a bar now? Can I finally see my grandchildren?
The need has grown slowly since January, when the first Americans began to complete the series of two doses of COVID-19 vaccines then available. Now, more than half of those 65 and older have received at least one injection, according to Andy Slavitt, a senior government adviser for the pandemic.
In Washington state, Raul Espinoza Gomez has 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren and an appointment on Saturday for his second dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
At Easter, the 77-year-old man’s immune system will be ready to protect him from the virus. But how the family celebrates will depend on government advice, said Melissa Espinoza, 47, of Carnation, Washington, who plans to take Gomez, her father-in-law, for her second chance.
“We don’t get together as one big family at Christmas,” she said. “We follow what state and federal guidelines recommend. We had family members who were negatively affected by COVID. We know that the risks are serious. “
Concerned about the persistence of high case loads and deaths, the Biden government condemned efforts to relax states’ virus restrictions and begged the public for more months for more patience.
The caution drew critics, who point to the government’s own warnings that “tiredness is winning” as evidence that they need to be more optimistic about the way forward to ensure the cooperation of those who have not yet been vaccinated.
“I think it will be overly proscriptive and conservative and that is the wrong message,” former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Wednesday about the CDC’s guidelines. “If we continue to be very proscriptive and do not give people a realistic view of what a better future will look like, they will begin to ignore public health guidelines.”
Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the Division of Health and Public Health Policies, encouraged the CDC to be clearer about when and how it plans to produce guidelines for vaccinees.
“Making the decision to follow science is also making the decision that you are going to have to make a decision, which is really difficult when science is not established,” he told the AP. “They are drinking from a fire hose of science and are sometimes confused.”
More than 54 million Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine and just over half – nearly 28 million – have received the two recommended doses. The single dose of Johnson & Johnson injection soon it will add a few million more Americans with questions about what new freedoms they can safely enjoy.
“I hope to see more of my great-grandchildren,” said Rolando Solar, 92, who received his second shot in Miami on Wednesday. “But I know that things are not going to go back to normal and, for an old man like me, this is as good as it will be.”
Tami Katz-Freiman, 65, from Miami, received her second shot three weeks ago and plans to attend the Miami Film Festival almost Sunday at the home of unvaccinated friends. Everyone will wear masks.
“We didn’t have to discuss this with each other, because it is very clear to me that when there is a doubt and you do not have a direct CDC rule, it is better to be on the safe side and take care of yourself,” Katz -Freiman said .
Three weeks ago, the CDC announced that fully vaccinated people do not need to be quarantined if they have contact with someone with a confirmed infection (for 90 days after the final injection). But the agency said nothing more, noted Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and professor of public health at George Washington University.
“This (quarantine guidance) seems to imply to me that your chance of getting COVID-19 and being a carrier for other people is very low,” said Wen, who previously ran the Baltimore health department.
“(But) we need to focus on what is most relevant to people’s lives, and my patients don’t come and ask me, ‘If I get vaccinated, do I still need to be quarantined if I’m exposed?'” She continues.
“I would say that the most common question I get is ‘Can I visit my grandchildren?'” Said Wen.
Experts say it is understandable that the CDC was cautious when many scientific questions remain, including how long the vaccine-induced immunity lasts and whether vaccinated people are still able to transmit the virus to others. Answers are important when advising someone about the type of risk they face in different environments and how much risk it poses to others.
“Vaccines at their best, in clinical trials, were 95% effective, I didn’t say 100%. And that’s why we have to keep wearing masks most of the time, ”said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University.
But the CDC needed to present something more to vaccinated people than to maintain the same old guiding mask of social detachment, he added.
“People are so eager to do something and want to see some tangible benefit from vaccines. Americans are impatient. They want to continue, ”said Schaffner.
In fact, “there is a real cost in postponing this guidance,” as people turn to their own doctors for advice or just make their own assumptions and decisions, said Wen.
Waiting too long can diminish the agency’s relevance on this type of issue, said Wen, who believes the CDC should have some kind of guidance in place for people vaccinated in January.
Clearly, vaccinated people should have been encouraged to undergo cancer screening, dental care or other necessary medical appointments. CDC officials could also have said that it is okay for small groups of people who are fully vaccinated – maybe two or three couples, for example – to get together for dinner or another small meeting, she said.
With regard to small meetings between people who have been fully vaccinated, “the relative risk is so low that you would not have to wear a mask, that you could have a good social gathering at home,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, leader from the infectious disease medical government, during a recent briefing at the White House.
Some experts discussed the possibility of cinemas, cruise ships or other businesses opening up to vaccinated people and asking for proof of vaccination status. The Israeli government has started issuing a “green pass” vaccination certificate to anyone who has received two doses of the COVID vaccine through an accredited vaccination service.
“I don’t know if in this country we would tolerate the federal government issuing any type of pass, as they did in Israel,” said Wen. But companies may want these passes and they would be an incentive that could help with the overall vaccination rate, Wen said.
The only incentive that Espinoza’s family needed for the vaccination was to see her and her husband hospitalized with COVID-19 this winter. Still recovering, she uses oxygen at home.
Vaccination of the elderly in the family means a step closer to returning to the traditions they love: Church on Palm Sunday and, a week later, Easter egg hunt for the children and a meal with barbacoa cooked slowly, a plate of mexican meat.
“I hope people stay at home and stay as safe as possible until we can all be vaccinated and eradicate the disease,” said Espinoza.
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This story has been updated to correct Gottlieb’s first name.
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Associated Press reporter Kelli Kennedy in Miami contributed to this report.