How to Protect Vulnerable Family from This Thanksgiving COVID: Shot

NPR’s Chanelle Nibbelink

NPR’s Chanelle Nibbelink

This year is not Thanksgiving 2020. A year ago, the vaccine wasn’t approved yet, and the daily death toll surged to more than 2,000 per day by December, with many Americans crouching and skipping holiday celebrations. Did. To reduce their risk.

This year, 80% of people over the age of 12 have received at least one dose, About half of Americans According to a recent survey, groups of 10 or more will meet on holidays.

Many of us are ready to restart the holiday tradition, but the number of COVID cases is increasing rapidly again, with about 95,000 new cases a day. Experts warn that COVID risk reduction should be kept in mind. Keep in mind that even if your family is fully vaccinated, your most vulnerable families, especially those over the age of 80 and those with immunodeficiency, are still at high risk of severe COVID.

Almost two years after this pandemic, we learned a lot about how to reduce the risk of catching and spreading the virus, including simple masking and hand-washing procedures. Don’t forget now.

Here are some reminders on how to keep your family gathering safe.

If you’re gathering with your grandparents or other elders, be aware of the following:They are still in danger

Reality Check: People over the age of 80 are at increased risk of dying from COVID, even if vaccinated

Vaccines provide strong protection against hospitalization and death, but breakthrough infections are a reality. In many cases, post-vaccination coronavirus infections lead to only mild illness, and sometimes people are positive but show no symptoms at all. However, older people and those with a weakened immune system are at increased risk of developing serious and groundbreaking COVID cases.

Breakthroughs rarely lead to hospitalization or death, but one group is more likely. As NPR reported, CDC data for August show that fully vaccinated people over the age of 80 are about 13 times more likely to die of COVID than the general vaccinated population (of all ages). Showed to be high. This is one of the reasons why getting a booster is especially important for older people.

“This is something we have to be aware of when people are gathering for generations,” says William Miller, a doctor and public health epidemiologist at Ohio State University. “Grandpa and grandma are more protected than they would be if they weren’t vaccinated, but they’re still at risk,” he says.

Therefore, it makes sense to take precautions while traveling and in the week before the celebration attended by older friends and relatives.

In crowded indoor locations like grocery stores, “I absolutely recommend people to keep wearing masks,” says Miller, if not required. This reduces the risk of transmission by being exposed to the virus. And remember, TSA face mask requirements Valid until January 18, 2022, requiring masking at airports, commercial airline flights, and commuter bus and rail systems.

Therefore, in the end, it is still important to protect the elderly and loved ones with weakened immunity, even if everyone invited to the holiday gathering is vaccinated.

Get booster shots if qualified

The Federal Health Organization is now COVID vaccine booster for all adults, 6 months after the last shot — and they can be especially important for adults over the age of 50 or adults with underlying illness or high-risk work. Obtaining it before a vacation trip or rally may boost your immunity to COVID.

Authorities’ decisions were based on new evidence that immunity can decline over time and, as the name implies, booster doses can enhance protection.

Most some Recent real world data I’m from the UK. In September, the British government introduced a booster program for people over the age of 50.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House’s medical adviser, said the new analysis shows a significant increase in protection (against symptomatic infections) from booster immunization. “Looking at the third dose of people whose protection has dropped to about 63%, it can be returned to at least 94%, which is very impressive,” he says. “It’s just like what you want boosters to do.”

Fauci says his immunity begins to recover within a few days of taking a booster shot, but does not reach peak defense for two to four weeks. “If you qualify for a boost, it’s a good idea to get one now,” he said, before attending an indoor holiday gathering, especially in areas with high virus infections.

A quick inspection can protect your guest.Here’s how to measure the time

As a risk mitigation measure, we recommend that you ask your guests to undergo a COVID test before a large vacation. A year ago, it was difficult to get real-time information from COVID tests due to delayed test results and lack of rapid test options. Currently, there are many commercial rapid antigen tests available online and at pharmacies, such as Abbott Binax NOW and Orasure InteliSwab.

“Rapid antigen testing is an additional layer of protection for everyone,” he said. Judy Guzman-Cottrill, Specialist in pediatric infectious diseases at Oregon Health & Science University.

“Antigen testing is a simple snapshot to see if the viral protein of the day is present in a person’s nose,” explains Guzman-Cottrill. One day, the next day, positive results follow.

Emily Landon, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Chicago, explains that if someone has just been exposed, the test is not 100% reliable. “This test doesn’t actually detect the level of the virus in the nose, so it doesn’t detect any early infections,” she says. Therefore, she recommends taking the test on the morning of the rally or as close as possible to the start of the rally.

Some families do the test before the trip and then, depending on the level of risk of the person staying, when they arrive at their destination (Note: the procedure depends on the test you purchase). For example. Binax NOW tells For the most accurate results, you should test twice every 3 days with a test interval of at least 24 hours)

William Miller also has a strategy to test safety. “That’s a kind of thinking,” says Miller. It’s a way to signal: Make your visit as safe as possible.

Think carefully about how to include unvaccinated families

Deciding who to invite to your home is a matter of personal discretion, but experts are fairly clear at this point in the pandemic that a fully vaccinated group is the safest scenario. Is called.

“I think it makes sense to ask guests for immunity,” says Guzman-Cottrill. This is especially true if the guest includes children who are too young to be vaccinated (or have only received the first shot) or who have weak immunity. Response to vaccines such as immunodeficiency. “These people are the ones who really need to make sure we’re as safe as possible because this pandemic isn’t over,” she adds.

The need for a vaccine can lead to some hurt feelings and conflicts, but Miller proposes to formulate a decision as a way to protect older loved ones. “I apologize for not being vaccinated. I think it’s perfectly okay to say that Grandma is here and your coming greatly increases her risk,” he says. ..

Another option is to ask unvaccinated guests to perform a lab-based PCR test 24-48 hours prior to the event (as long as the results can be returned in time), or promptly just before them. Antigen test To do a COVID test. arrival. In addition, Landon has taken special precautions for unvaccinated guests, such as wearing masks in public places and limiting exposure to other unvaccinated people the week before the event. We recommend that you ask for it.

“With delta variants, I think most people get sick a few days after exposure, but it can take up to a week, and in some cases a little longer,” explains Landon. “I think it makes the most sense to take precautions for a week, before contacting high-risk people in close contact without a mask,” she says.

Be careful if your little child has not been vaccinated or has only been shot once

Many children between the ages of 5 and 11 received the first of the two recommended doses, but are not eligible to receive the second dose until the end of Thanksgiving holidays. After vaccination, immunity gradually increases, but it is not known exactly how much protective effect a single COVID vaccine will have on a child, “Guzman-Cottrill said. ..

“I know that many families are now in this troublesome situation because their children are not vaccinated for Thanksgiving,” she says. Given this “limbo” situation, “it’s really important to just keep in mind that it’s not time for those families to relax their vigilance,” she says. It’s not a reason to cancel a multi-generational gathering, but don’t forget to take precautions.

So which precautions are recommended? Depending on the health and age of the participating relatives, “If Grandma is a healthy 70-year-old woman with no medical problems and has been vaccinated twice with a vaccine and booster immunization, these children will not be present. I think it poses a great deal of risk. “

However, if the grandparents are over 80 and have medical problems, the risk of bad consequences is much higher.

If an unvaccinated child is worried about infecting his grandparents with the virus, a simple step is to mask them a week ago, not only during the visit, but also in public. In particular, avoid crowded indoor spaces. The mask obligation is not valid.

She says she does not recommend keeping children out of school to avoid exposure unless there are additional risks associated with the child’s school, such as the occurrence of cases or lack of masking. If the situation justifies absent from school to protect high-risk relatives, “then that may be the layer you want to add,” says Landon.

Another option: If you live in a warm climate, you may choose to stay outdoors as much as possible for mixed-generation social events and not sleep in the same house as your grandparents.

“We just come during the day for a big event and stay at the hotel,” Randon suggests. Or put your grandparents to sleep in the hotel, she adds.

Conclusion: “We need to think about the risks of the individuals involved — what happens if they get a COVID,” says Landon. And you should be careful.