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Not too worried. A number of breakthrough infections were expected.
“You expect it,” said Dr. Shira Doron, infectious disease physician and hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center. “Was I expecting something as big as the Provincetown cluster?” No, I wasn’t expecting something so widespread.
“We know that vaccines are not 100% effective. No vaccine is 100 percent effective, ”agreed Dr Daniel Kuritzkes, head of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “The more infections that circulate in a community, the more likely it is that those vaccinated will have breakthrough infections.”
In clinical trials, approved vaccines had varying rates of effectiveness – Pfizer-BioNTech at 95%, Moderna at 94.1%, and Johnson & Johnson at 72%.
But they were tested at a time when “there was a lull in the number of infections in the United States,” meaning those rates were “the best of times,” Kuritzkes said.
Clinical trials were also ‘conducted in a very different setting,’ where most individuals wore masks, wandered away and stayed at home – another reason why effectiveness rates may be lower now than most. people have resumed their pre-pandemic lives, Doron said.
The delta has also become the predominant variant in the United States, and it tends to be associated with a higher viral load, she said. “This is going to make people a little more likely to overcome natural or vaccine-induced immunity.”
It is important to remember that the vaccine works. The Department of Public Health said last week that 0.1% of people in Massachusetts who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus contracted COVID-19.
Vaccination also almost always prevents those infected from contracting a severe case of COVID-19 that requires hospitalization or results in death. If a vaccinated person is infected, “it’s very likely that they have a mild upper respiratory infection, maybe something that looks like the flu, and doesn’t need to be hospitalized,” Doron said. .
I have vacation plans in Cape Town. Should I cancel them?
“I don’t think people should avoid going to Cape Town,” Kuritzkes said. “I think people should be more careful.”
People who have been vaccinated should always wear a mask indoors and avoid indoor places where they will not be able to keep a mask, such as bars and restaurants. “These are situations where you could really see a significant spread of infection,” Kuritzkes said.
Dr. David Hamer, an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center, also recommended “the use of an indoor mask with an effective mask whenever possible, even for fully vaccinated people.” Vacationers should also try to stay outdoors as much as possible, especially when eating or drinking, he said.
Yet there are many activities – like going to the beach, playing golf or tennis, and cycling – that “should be safe and do not require a mask to be worn, except in a crowded and poor location. broken down, ”Hamer said.
Dr Philip Landrigan, director of the Global Public Health Program at Boston College, advised tourists “to use your situational awareness to determine where you’re going to go and how you’re going to behave when you get there.”
“Cape Town is a big place, and there are lots and lots of places out there, from the busy nightclubs in Provincetown to empty beaches,” Landrigan said. “I hope people will go to Cape Town. I hope they will move away a bit. … But take precautions.
Holidaymakers must also ensure that they comply with public health measures in their destinations. Provincetown issued an advisory on Monday advising even vaccinated people to wear masks indoors – a step all experts have hailed.
I was in Cape Town earlier this month. What steps do I have to take?
Health officials in Boston have urged anyone who has visited Provincetown since July 1 to test themselves for COVID-19 and self-isolate until they test negative. Doron echoed this direction.
Hamer noted that some vaccinated people have stalled their mild symptoms on seasonal allergies, but urged anyone who has been in Cape Town and feels discomfort to take a test.
“If they have mild symptoms – runny nose, stuffy nose, sore throat, mild fever, dry cough – they should definitely consider getting tested,” he said. “Even if they think it could be seasonal allergies, it could be something more than that.”
Anyone who suspects they have been exposed on Cape Cod or elsewhere should also avoid contact with vulnerable people.
“If a person has been in a place like a nightclub or bar where there is a high risk of infection, they should be extremely conscientious not to enter a hospital or nursing home during the two years. coming weeks because the risk is high that she could be the person infecting a number of vulnerable elderly or sick people, ”Landrigan said.
I live in Boston. Should I be concerned that the epidemic will spread?
So far, at least 35 cases of COVID-19 among Bostonians have been traced to Provincetown.
“Provincetown is only 120 miles from Boston by road and it’s only a two hour fast ferry ride, and a lot of people come and go all the time, especially in the summer. If there are cases in Provincetown, it will certainly spread to Boston. It’s inevitable, ”Landrigan said.
Kuritzkes agreed that regular trips back and forth between Boston and Cape Town could lead to a slight increase in cases in Boston.
Landrigan recommended that individuals take precautions in crowded environments and be extra careful in places with large numbers of young adults, as there has been rapid transmission of the virus in this demographic.
Hamer said he wore a mask indoors in Boston and Cambridge – not only because of the Cape Town surge but an increase in cases in Massachusetts.
“We had over 300 cases yesterday. It had gone down by less than 100 a day for a while a few months ago, and it seems to be increasing, ”he said. “I’m worried.”
Kuritizkes also reminded individuals to know who is in their household and to keep in mind those who are not vaccinated or who are otherwise vulnerable to COVID-19, such as the immunocompromised.
All the experts said that vaccination remains the most important step to protect yourself and others. “Everything else you want to do is your personal choice at this point,” Doron said.
The situation on Cape Cod “serves as a reminder that this pandemic is not over,” Landrigan said. “It is still bubbling in the population. There are still people who are infected, there are still people who are shedding the virus. “
And despite Massachusetts leading the country in immunization, experts said it still wasn’t enough.
“We cannot be happy to have something like 70 percent of the population vaccinated here in the Commonwealth,” Kuritzkes said. “We really need to get as close as possible to 100% and work to get the rest of the United States vaccinated if we are to get back to tourism, travel and commerce.”
Camille Caldera can be reached at [email protected].
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