White House health advisor Michael Osterholm admitted to a “message” problem at Covid-19 and what activities vaccinated people can do now, while also raising concerns about a “fourth wave”.
Faced with public confusion about whether air travel is safe or whether mask use is still mandatory for those who have been vaccinated against the virus, Osterholm, who is on the White House’s Covid-19 advisory council, warned that vaccinations are not complete protection.
“It’s not perfect, it’s not 100 percent [protection from COVID-19], ” he said of the three vaccines in the USA.
He admitted, however, there is a “problem” in conveying this message to the public.
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“We have a problem now from a public health standpoint to nuance that message,” he said, warning that Americans should still avoid air travel if it is “Not essential.”
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its health guidelines to say that vaccinated people can travel safely – although they still recommend wearing a mask – but health officials have been cautious in recommending air travel.
“I would advocate against travel in general in general. Our guidance is silent as to whether or not to recommend travel for people who are fully vaccinated. Our guidance talks about the safety of doing this. If you are vaccinated, the risk is less, ” CDC director Rochelle Walensky said this week.
In a separate interview at CBS, Osterholm referred to vaccines as “A fireproof suit that works 95 percent of the time.”
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“I think the message was consistent, although it may have confused the audience,” he said.
Although he claimed a “brilliant future” could be ahead already this summer, as the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, Osterholm also warned about Covid variants creating a “New pandemic” it is a “Fourth wave” of growing cases, although he says vaccines have successfully fought variants at the moment.
“I believe that, in a way, we are almost in a new pandemic,” he told Fox News. “The only good news is that current vaccines are effective against this particular variant B.1.1.7.” he said, noting that the variant may be more prevalent in dissemination among children.
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