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SALT LAKE CITY – As the COVID-19 vaccination campaign intensifies and more Utahns are protected, people are wondering when they can reunite with loved ones who have already been vaccinated.
Some people over 70 will soon be fully vaccinated, but is it too early to visit?
Dr. Emily Spivak, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Utah Health, said we still need to act with caution around people who have been vaccinated.
On the plus side: vaccines prevent this person from getting symptomatic infection and serious illness. But researchers don’t know how well vaccines prevent asymptomatic infections or the ability of people to spread the virus without knowing they are sick.
The best recommendation is therefore to continue to follow local health guidelines.
“We shouldn’t change our behaviors until we have immunized a very large proportion of the population,” Spivak said.
We should always avoid travel, masks and social distancing, the doctor said. But Spivak also acknowledges that many of our loved ones have been extremely isolated for almost a year, and she understands that some people are at risk of becoming closer.
“If you’re going to visit, it shouldn’t be between the first and second dose, and should be at least two weeks or later after the second dose,” she says.
This will allow the vaccinated individual to benefit from maximum protection.
If you are meeting with someone recently vaccinated, Spivak said to wear a mask, keep your distance and meet outside if you can.
“Don’t let your guard down completely,” she said. “Always use some of those basic mitigation strategies we talked about to prevent asymptomatic transmission – ideally, wear masks.”
The vaccines available to date appear to protect against variants of the virus emerging in the United States. Even though vaccines have reduced effectiveness against variants, they appear to be very protective against serious illness and hospitalization.
When you are available for a vaccine, she said they all provide the protection that we will need.
“The sooner we can get people to take them, whatever vaccine is offered to you, the sooner we’ll get to ‘herd immunity’, or enough of the population protected to slow the transmission of this virus disease and maybe get back to normal, ”she said.
This is another aspect of this vaccination campaign which requires a lot of patience.
“I think we are going in the right direction. I would like it to go faster and more widely, but I am optimistic that we will get there,” Spivak said.
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