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Naturally, with COVID-19 cases slowing across the country, people’s thoughts are turning to travel this summer.
During a conference call Wednesday Mayo Clinic doctors set out what people should consider when planning a trip or even hosting backyard meetings.
“When planning a trip, you should really understand what is going on at your destination,” said Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, Infectious Disease Specialist at the Mayo Clinic Children’s Center. “Make sure you are thoroughly familiar with recommendations and guidelines for your travel destination.”
Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline in the state of Minnesota. Minnesota Public Radio reported Wednesday that the state is seeing new fall trends at the April 2020 lows.
Slightly more than 66% of residents aged 16 and over have received at least one vaccination and 62.6% are fully vaccinated.
Trends are also down elsewhere in the United States, but compounding this scenario are COVID-19 variants, particularly the Delta variant, which accounts for more than 20% of new COVID-19 cases in the United States as of Tuesday. According to the Centers for Disease Control, that’s doubling in just two weeks.
In 10 states in the Midwest, including Minnesota’s neighbors Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota, the Delta variant accounts for half of all new cases.
However, Mayo doctors are still comfortable attending events and traveling when they are fully vaccinated and the immune system is healthy.
“If you have a full series of vaccinations and are otherwise healthy, your risk of serious infection from the Delta is very small,” said Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious disease specialist at Mayo. “These vaccines are almost 100 percent effective against death, infection, and hospitalization.”
Healthcare professionals are also comfortable attending outdoor events without a mask when fully immunized, but continue to recommend wearing masks in crowded areas.
“The idea is to layer,” said Poland. “One layer of protection at a time is best to protect yourself.”
Rajapakse also suggested carefully planning family gatherings or parties at home, especially with children.
Children under the age of 12 still cannot be vaccinated. Although children under the age of 12 are much less likely to be affected by COVID-19, there is still a chance they can pass it on, as well as the possibility of getting the disease themselves from the outside.
“The challenge is younger children who are not vaccinated and we are still recommending precautions for them,” said Rajapakse.
While doctors are optimistic about travel, they do so with some caution, warning that with variants floating around there is a risk of going backwards in the fall, especially for those who are not vaccinated.
“Especially for people aged 12 and over and unvaccinated people, we are getting into the riskiest time frame of the pandemic due to the circulating variants,” said Poland.
There is also a risk with vaccinations other than those for COVID-19. Rajapakse said that because of COVID-19, vaccinations against diseases such as measles have decreased.
“Many have lagged behind with routine vaccinations,” she said. “We recommend that you keep them up to date with the other vaccines.”
The simple issue right now, even amid warnings of a possible resurgence in the future, is that travel is safe when precautions are taken.
“At least we are currently at a historically low level in terms of the number of cases as a nation,” said Poland. “If you are fully vaccinated and healthy, I think you can travel.”
Booster?
The Food and Drug Administration and CDC are currently examining whether or not booster injections may be required in the future.
Poland said three different options are being tested, including what they call a late booster, which would be given 9-12 months after the original injection.
However, Poland also said that there are currently no specific recommendations.
“They are doing the right thing in investigating this – testing and what security it would be,” he said. “There are currently no recommendations for boosters this fall. At this point I don’t see how we would come to a recommendation. “
Poland said it might be possible for boosters to be recommended for certain groups of people, including those with weakened immune systems.
– The Associated Press contributed to this story
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