[ad_1]
COVID-19: Here are 4 tips to help you travel safely during a pandemic
The CDC has warned against travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, but here are some ways to get you safely to new destinations.
UNITED STATES TODAY
Things had started to look somewhat normal for Joshua Stokes and his family this summer, with a family trip to a resort near San Diego and in-person visits with vaccinated friends.
But now, with the delta variant throwing a curve ball into global pandemic stimulus packages, Stokes has said he and his family are being more cautious.
Stokes, who is fully vaccinated, canceled two of his own trips this month and is pushing back plans to visit family members with his four children, who are all too young to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Children 12 and older in the United States can receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, while clinical trials of vaccinations in young children are still ongoing.
“All of our optional travel plans right now are on the table until the kids can get vaccinated or until the cases die again,” he told USA TODAY, noting that ‘he was concerned about breakthrough infections. Until then, “we’re not particularly interested in putting them on planes, in airports, in hotels, things like that.”
►A guide for parents of unvaccinated children: Are the play dates safe? And the flights?
►Are crowds safe as the delta variant spreads? Experts explain the risks of COVID at joint gatherings
Health experts say travel can be risky, given the rise of the delta variant, but each family will need to weigh the risks for themselves and determine whether to follow through on their vacation plans at the end. of summer. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the United States more than tripled in the past month to almost 45,000, but remains well below the nearly 124,000 hospitalizations in January during the winter wave, according to data from the CDC.
“A lot of people and families started the summer feeling and hoping that COVID was ending… (but) the pandemic is not over,” said Angela Bengtson, assistant professor in the epidemiology department at the ‘Brown University. “Each family needs to look at what their own unique characteristics are, where they are going, what their tolerance for risk is and assess that. ”
►COVID Updates: Hospitals fill up with unvaccinated patients in COVID hotspots
►COVID study: Breakthrough COVID-19 infections after vaccination can lead to long-term symptoms
Should unvaccinated children travel in the midst of a wave of delta variants?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests people avoid domestic and international travel until they are fully immunized, but does that mean parents with unvaccinated children should cancel family vacations? ?
Short answer: it depends, according to health experts.
Staying at home offers a much lower risk of transmission, but experts say travel can be important for children, both socially and developmentally.
“The safest thing for anyone is not to travel. This will limit your exposure the most, ”said Bengtson, who has a 4-month-old daughter. “That said, a lot of families and people, after going through a year and a half of the pandemic, have been reluctant to see their family or friends… so they are weighing those choices.
Karl Minges, acting dean of New Haven University’s School of Health Sciences, said families shouldn’t necessarily rushing to cancel vacations now that COVID cases are on the rise, but suggested they be careful how they travel.
Minges took a trip to Cape Cod, Massachusetts with her husband and three children last month and has spent time focusing on low-risk activities like going to the beach and biking. The family avoided downtown unless it was windy and there were fewer people.
“We just had to adapt,” Minges said. “I would just say adopt a plan to really enjoy the great outdoors as much as possible.”
He added that a trip to a theme park or similar place that would involve spending a lot of time crammed inside with strangers “might be worth reconsidering.”
Susan Michaels-Strasser, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center, encouraged families with young children to continue with their vacation plans, provided they take the right precautions.
“You weigh your benefits against your costs. Over the past year the kids have really lost a lot, ”she said. “Life is not all or nothing. Do it wisely, use your common sense.
►Disney mask mandate: Disney World and Disneyland Impose Employee Vaccinations, Announce Indoor Mask Requirement
►Are crowds safe as the delta variant spreads: Experts explain the risks of COVID at joint gatherings
Where can I travel with unvaccinated children?
Michaels-Strasser said risk levels will vary depending on where families travel and the type of activities they engage in.
Families should look at transmission rates at their destination before committing to travel, she said. She suggested looking to outdoor places like beaches or exploring socially remote places that require masks to be worn, like museums.
“Any movement where people come into contact with others, the risk is there,” Michaels-Strasser said. “But it’s in a parent’s ability to reduce that risk as much as possible.”
The CDC has released a map highlighting countries with high COVID-19 transmission rates and is offering advice to international travelers based on COVID data from foreign countries.
►CDC COVID card: High transmission areas where you must wear a mask indoors
►Travel warning: CDC says travelers should avoid Greece, Ireland and other destinations, regardless of their vaccination status
Should vaccinated adults travel if they have unvaccinated children?
CDC says it’s safer to travel if vaccinated, but should parents with young children take solo trips?
Bengtson said it was difficult to make a general statement that applied to all situations. The risk will depend on how much of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is circulating in the destination and the vaccination status of people in the area.
Health experts say it’s possible for fully vaccinated parents to bring the virus home to their unvaccinated children. They recommend that parents wear a mask in public, but they can remove the mask from around their children when they get home.
“We are seeing an increase in the rates of children with the delta variant and sick children, in part because this particular variant is so much more contagious,” said Jodie Guest, professor and vice-chair of the department of delta. epidemiology from Emory University. Rollins School of Public Health. “If I have the delta variant, I don’t want to pick it up and bring it home.”
William Hanage, an epidemiologist at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, added that COVID-19 infections in young children are generally less severe, but they can play a role in transmission.
What can parents do on vacation to protect their children?
Health experts suggest families hide indoors, reduce time spent indoors or in crowded places, and follow social distancing protocols.
“As a parent, knowing that I have an unvaccinated child, we wear masks indoors in all settings, whether they are mandatory or not,” Bengtson said.
Choosing a vacation spot that requires a mask or choosing to drive instead of flying can also help reduce the risk of transmission, Michaels-Strasser says.
“It comes down to what we know from the start is the most important thing, which is social distancing, wearing masks and reducing the number of people in a crowded space,” she said. “There is no magic here.”
Testing can also be a practical tool; CDC suggests unvaccinated travelers test for COVID-19 before and after travel.
►The threat of Delta: CDC reveals data on why masks are important for the vaccinated and unvaccinated
Is the Delta variant worse for children?
The delta variant, which is considered as contagious as chickenpox, is “of great concern,” according to Albert Ko, professor of epidemiology at Yale, but it is not yet clear whether the delta strain poses a greater risk for children than other versions of the virus.
Studies have shown that children have a lower risk of infection and serious illness from COVID-19 than adults, but their share of new infections appears to be increasing. Children accounted for only about 2% of new infections in March 2020 but more than 24% of new weekly infections at the end of May, when they made up only 16% of the population, according to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics .
More than 4 million children in the United States have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and at least 358 have died from the disease, according to the Pediatric Academy.
As of June 28, more than 4,100 children have been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome, or MIS-C, a rare but dangerous disease that the CDC says is associated with COVID-19. Thirty-seven of these patients died.
“In areas with high transmissibility, the spread of the virus is definitely a concern (for families traveling),” Ko said.
Experts say parents and other adults can help protect children from COVID-19 by getting the vaccine themselves.
►COVID data: At the start of the pandemic, children accounted for 2% of new COVID infections. Now they represent 24%.
When can children be vaccinated?
Pediatric hospitals and vaccine developers like Pfizer and Moderna are working together to complete clinical trials and plan to submit data by early fall.
“Based on that, an emergency use authorization review will be performed by the FDA (to see) if the vaccines are safe and effective (for young children), and hopefully they will be available at the hospital. ‘fall,’ Ko said.
In the meantime, Ko has said getting people 12 and over vaccinated is “the key.” About 58% of eligible people in the United States were fully vaccinated as of Thursday, according to the CDC.
Contribution: Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY. Follow USA TODAY reporter Bailey Schulz on Twitter: @bailey_schulz.
[ad_2]
Source link