COVID Travel: CDC says fully vaccinated people can travel at low risk
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can travel safely, but still recommend staying at home.
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A covered event that celebrates the opening of a bar in rural Illinois was related to an outbreak of COVID-19 that resulted in 46 cases and the closure of a school that affected 650 students, according to a study by the Control and Control Center. Disease Prevention published on Monday.
Following an investigation by the Illinois Department of Public Health, the February event was associated with cases in 26 clients and three staff members, which led to another 17 secondary cases.
The bar displayed signs that encouraged wearing masks and social detachment, said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky during a meeting at the White House on Monday, but reports indicated that customers were inconsistent with wearing masks and keep a safe distance.
“It looks a bit like Groundhog Day, as we are seeing another wave that is actually attributed to the same things that contributed to the first wave,” said Dr. Sadiya Khan, epidemiologist and assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine . “It is as if we are repeating exactly the same mistakes over and over again, with periods of pause between them.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health found that one of the clients who attended the event was asymptomatic, but received a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 the day before he attended.
Another participant exposed more than two dozen people to the virus in a school during classes and an indoor sport practice. The exhibition led to two positive student athletes and 13 employees being quarantined, forcing school staff to send 650 children home and close the school for two weeks.
Another participant in the event who worked at a long-term institution exposed co-workers and residents, infecting a team member and two residents with COVID-19. One of the residents was hospitalized and discharged the same day. All employees and residents who tested positive for COVID-19 were offered the vaccine, but were not vaccinated.
“These findings underscore the great impact of a single event affecting fragile communities, schools, families and the elderly,” said Walensky during Monday’s briefing. “It emphasizes the impressive transmissibility of this virus and the continuing need for layered prevention strategies.”
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There are probably more cases involved in the outbreak that may not have been reported, says the CDC, as asymptomatic cases are estimated to be 40% to 45% of infections.
Khan understands the desire for restaurants and bars to open normally, as the sector has suffered some of the biggest financial blows from the pandemic, but “we are not there yet”.
Indoor dining continues to be a source of potential spread and customers should continue to wear a mask, social distance and opt for outdoor dining whenever possible to reduce the risk of transmission, she said.
“I understand that people are tired and ready to end this pandemic, just like me,” said Walensky. “Please continue to persevere and do the things we know to prevent the virus from spreading.”
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