More than 28 million Americans completely vaccinated against coronavirus will still have to wait for guidance from federal health officials on what they should and should not do.
The Biden administration said on Friday that it was focusing on the right direction and adaptation of emerging science, but the delays added to the uncertainty surrounding the end of the pandemic as national virus fatigue increased.
“These are complex issues, and science is evolving rapidly,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Friday. “We make sure we take the time to get this right and we will be launching these guidelines soon.”
Such guidance would address a stream of questions from people who have been completely vaccinated against COVID-19: Do I still need to wear a mask? Can I go to a bar now? Can I finally see my grandchildren?
The need has grown slowly since January, when the first Americans began supplementing the series with two doses of COVID-19 vaccines available then. Now, more than half of people aged 65 and over have received at least one stroke, according to Andy Slavitt, senior adviser to the pandemic administration.
In Washington state, Raul Espinoza Gomez has 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren and a meeting on Saturday for the second dose of coronavirus vaccine.
By Easter, the 77-year-old’s immune system will be ready to protect him from the virus. But how she celebrates the family will depend on government advice, said Melissa Espinoza, 47, of Carnation, Washington, who plans to lead Gomez, her father-in-law, to get the second blow.
“We did not gather as a large family for Christmas,” she said. “We are following what the state and federal guidelines recommend. We have had family members adversely affected by COVID. We know the risks are severe.”
Concerned about the large number of cases and persistent deaths, the Biden administration condemned efforts to ease state viral restrictions and called on the public to be more patient for several months.
Attention has been drawn to criticism, which indicates the administration’s own warnings that “fatigue is gaining ground” as proof that they need to be more optimistic about the way forward to ensure the cooperation of those who are not yet vaccinated.
“I think it’s going to be too outlaw and conservative, and that’s the wrong message,” former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Wednesday about the CDC’s future guidance. “If we continue to be very outlawed and not give people a realistic vision of what a better future will look like, they will start ignoring public health guidelines.”
Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the Division of Health and Public Health Policy, encouraged the CDC to be clearer about when and how it intends to produce guidelines for vaccines.
“Making the decision to follow science also means making the decision that you will have to make a decision, which is really difficult when science is not solved,” he told the PA. “I drink from a science hose and sometimes it gets messy.”
More than 55.5 million Americans received at least one dose of vaccine, and just over half of them – 28.7 million – received the two recommended doses. With a single dose, Johnson & Johnson will soon add several million more Americans with questions about what new freedoms they can safely enjoy.
“I hope to see my great-grandchildren again,” said Rolando Solar, 92, who received his second dose in Miami on Wednesday. “But I know that things will not return to normal and, for an old man like me, this is as good as it will be. ”
Tami Katz-Freiman, 65, of Miami, received her second dose three weeks ago and plans to watch the Miami Film Festival on Sunday, at the home of unvaccinated friends. Everyone will wear masks.
“We didn’t have to talk to each other, because it’s very clear to me that when there’s a doubt and you don’t have a direct CDC rule, you better be safe and take care of yourself,” Katz said. Freiman.
Three weeks ago, the CDC announced that fully vaccinated people should not be quarantined if they come in contact with someone with a confirmed infection (for 90 days after the final shot). But the agency said nothing beyond that, said Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and professor of public health at George Washington University.
“This (quarantined guidance) seems to me to mean that your chances of contracting COVID-19 and being a carrier for others are quite low,” said Wen, who previously headed the Baltimore Department of Health.
“(But) we have to focus on what is most relevant to people’s lives, and my patients don’t come and ask me, ‘If I’m vaccinated, do I still need to be quarantined if I’m exposed?’ ” continued.
“I would say that the most common question I get is ‘Can I visit my grandchildren?’ Wen said.
Experts say it is understandable that the CDC has been cautious when many scientific questions remain, including how long the vaccine-induced immunity lasts and whether vaccinated people are still able to transmit the virus to others. Answers are important when advising someone what type of risk they face in different settings and how much risk there is for others.
“Vaccines in the best conditions, in clinical trials, were 95% effective, I did not say 100%. And that’s why we have to keep wearing masks most of the time, “said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University.
But the CDC had to come up with something more for vaccinated people than to stay with the same old mask wearing, socially distancing guidance, he added.
“People are so eager to do something and they want to see a tangible benefit from vaccines. Americans are impatient. They want to continue, “Schaffner said.
Indeed, “there is a real cost to postponing this guidance,” because people turn to their own doctors for advice or just make their own assumptions and decisions, Wen said.
Waiting too long can diminish the agency’s relevance to such issues, said Wen, who believes the CDC should have had some kind of guidance for people vaccinated in January.
Clearly, vaccinated people should have been encouraged to go to cancer screening, dental care or other necessary medical appointments. CDC officials could also have said it was okay for small groups of fully vaccinated people – maybe two or three couples, for example – to gather together for a dinner or other small gathering, she said.
Regarding small gatherings among people who have been completely vaccinated, “the relative risk is so low that you should not wear a mask that you could have a good social gathering at home,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci. government leader doctor in infectious diseases, during a recent White House briefing.
Some experts discussed the possibility of cinemas or cruise ships or certain other businesses opening up to vaccinated people and asking for proof of vaccination status. The Israeli government has begun issuing a green pass vaccination certificate to anyone who has received two doses of COVID vaccine through an accredited vaccination service.
“I don’t know if in this country we would tolerate the federal government issuing some kind of approval, as they did in Israel,” Wen said. But businesses might want such permits and it would be an incentive that could help the overall vaccination rate, Wen said.
The only incentive needed for Espinoza’s family to be vaccinated was to see her and her husband hospitalized with COVID-19 this winter. Still recovering, he uses oxygen at home.
Vaccinating the elders of the family means one step closer to returning to the traditions they love: Church on Flower Sunday and, a week later, an Easter egg hunt for children and a slow-cooked barbecue meal, a Mexican dish of beef.
“I hope that people will stay at home and stay safe as long as possible until we can all get vaccinated and eradicate this disease,” Espinoza said.
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This story has been updated to correct Gottlieb’s first name.
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Miami Associated Press reporter Kelli Kennedy contributed to the report.