“If I am vaccinated against Covid-19, can I safely congregate with other people – especially if they too are vaccinated?” Such a compelling question! If “yes,” then reentering in-person life is a very welcome advance. If “no,” then such socializing risks disease or worse among those whom we value most.
Vaccination is accelerating rapidly. The United States is administering 2.5 million vaccines per day, with projections of most residents vaccinated by mid summer. And, numbers of infections and deaths are declining, though threats remain – especially from variants of Covid-19.
Clearly, vaccination prevents physical illness from the virus. What is less certain (though being aggressively studied) is whether vaccination prevents a person from harboring the virus and then transmitting it to another. But wouldn’t two or more vaccinated persons be safe together? Many authorities agree. Dr. Anthony Fauci explains, “If you are vaccinated, and you are with someone who’s vaccinated, the things that you can do are much, much more liberal in the sense of pulling back on stringent public health measures, versus when you’re out in society,” said Fauci, adding that if you’ve been vaccinated and want to give another vaccinated person a hug, that’s reasonable.
So, vaccinated people, please consider congregating together with me at the 2021 Humanitarian Health Conference on June 11-12 in Kansas City, Missouri! Online participation also available. While abiding by the prevailing public health guidelines, we will also enjoy the opportunity to advance our skills, be inspired by intriguing role models, and connect again with like hearted people!