Health Experts Encourage Holiday Gatherings, But Urge Precautions
With cases of COVID-19 on the rise, health experts say people should still gather with loved ones this holiday season, but they highlight the importance of getting vaccinated, wearing masks and protecting vulnerable family members
It’s another COVID Christmas, but health experts say there’s no reason why people can’t enjoy themselves — especially if they’re vaccinated and take precautions.
“I think people should still get together for the holiday, because it’s been a difficult year,” said Dr. George Abraham, the chief of medicine at Saint Vincent Hospital.
Doctors say get vaccinated, limit the size of family celebrations, wear masks indoors and protect vulnerable members of the family from those who are unvaccinated.
“We have a lot of different tools in your toolbox, but the most important one is get vaccinated,” said Dr. Sabrina Assoumou of Boston Medical Center.
Rapid testing kits are another tool recommended by the CDC. They work in about 15 minutes, but like a lot of items around Christmas, they’re hard to find.
“If you’re looking for rapid tests, keep looking. Different places that don’t have it today may have it tomorrow,” Assoumou said.
Approximately 56% of Texans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and nearly one-quarter of Texans also have received a booster shot.
What about next Christmas? Will we need yet another vaccine?
No one knows. There’s no data yet to show the booster shot is holding up over time.
So far, the booster’s performance seems stellar, not only restoring the immunity that faded after the first two shots, but surpassing it. With some vaccines, such as hepatitis B, the third dose lasts a lifetime, said Dr. John Swartzberg of UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health.
“It’s likely at some point,” although not imminent, he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t need one for a year, or two years, or whenever.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases stated “If you are vaccinated and boosted and are prudent when you travel, when you’re in an airport to be wearing a mask all the time, you have to be wearing a mask on a plane. Do not do things like go to gatherings where there are people who you do not know what their vaccination status is,” Fauci told ABC’s chief Washington correspondent and “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
Fauci also shared at a CNN Global Town Hall last Wednesday, “Just as I said and I’ll say it again, if you have a vaccinated situation, enjoy the holidays with your family
in a family setting.”
Have a safe and happy holiday!
