Even after they have been fully vaccinated against Covid, some public health precautions are still needed until more data on the vaccines can be collected, Dr. Kavita Patel Friday on CNBC.
It is well understood that the two-shot vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are highly effective in preventing serious illness and death from Covid-19, Patel said in a “Squawk Box” interview. At present, less is understood how well the vaccines reduce coronavirus transmission.
In other words, someone who has been vaccinated has greatly reduced the risk of actually getting sick from the coronavirus, but Patel claimed that precautions are needed in the coming months if a small group gathers and one person in that group has not been vaccinated.
“When you are in a household with small children [who don’t yet qualify for the vaccine] or even at risk children … or even yourself if you are at increased risk despite having been vaccinated, you should consider taking precautions when indoors wearing masks. Stay outside with people if possible, ”said Patel, a primary care physician in Washington and a non-resident at the Brookings Institution.
“The only reason I’m saying that is because we need more data to understand what this transmission risk is,” she added.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week amended quarantine guidelines for people who are fully vaccinated; both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses for complete protection. The CDC now says that within three months of full vaccination, people exposed to the coronavirus will not have to go into quarantine if they don’t develop symptoms.
Like Patel, the CDC recognizes that the risk of a vaccinated person passing the virus to someone else is “uncertain.” But the reason for the changed quarantine guidance, the CDC said, is due to the vaccines showing strong effectiveness in preventing people from developing symptomatic Covid.
That’s important because people with Covid symptoms are believed to transmit the virus more than asymptomatic individuals, according to the CDC. For that reason, the CDC said that a fully vaccinated person who shows no symptoms should not go into quarantine.
The CDC defines complete vaccination as two weeks after receiving the second injection of a two-dose vaccine or two weeks after receiving a single vaccine. Johnson & Johnson has filed for emergency use approval for its single-dose vaccine, and an advisory panel will discuss this at a meeting later this month.
Patel said she believes the CDC quarantine policy could be updated again as more Americans are vaccinated. But at this stage of the pandemic, she said the US is in an “interim period.” Although she said that about one in three Americans has been vaccinated or developed natural antibodies to the coronavirus as a result of a previous infection, “ we still have plenty of opportunity in the other two people to promote the spread of the virus, especially one concern about these more transferable variants. . “
To illustrate, Patel offered insight into how she personally approaches aspects of life now that she has been vaccinated. Obama’s former government official said she will continue to wear a mask in public, even though she is confident she will not get sick and die of Covid.
“I’m still doing all the things we’ve talked about – which we’re pretty tired of – until we have more data that I can’t give. [the virus] against someone who has not been vaccinated, ”said Patel, who served as policy director for the Obama White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, where she worked on health initiatives.
However, Patel said there are reasons to be optimistic and how she is thinking about seeing her parents soon. “Because I have been vaccinated and after they come in for a few weeks after that second dose, I will feel more comfortable talking about the risks because it is not 100% that they will not contract the virus, but I feel at ease when I have small meeting with them as we are all vaccinated together, ”she said.
While the availability of vaccines is currently limited, Patel noted Dr. Anthony Fauci on NBC’s “Today” show. The country’s top infectious disease expert said he expects April to be an “open season” for vaccinations against Covid. If Fauci’s prediction came true, Patel said she believes more Americans will gather safely by the summer.
“As the months go by and more people in your household and possibly another household, like your parents or your grandparent, get vaccinated, that can make smaller gatherings safer,” Patel said. “That’s something to look forward to, as some of us have been waiting more than a year now to see older parents and high-risk relatives.”