Even after he was completely inoculated against Covid, a few more public health precautions are needed until more vaccine data can be collected, Dr. Kavita Patel told CNBC on Friday.
It is well understood that two-shot vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are extremely effective in preventing severe disease and death from Covid-19, Patel said in a “Squawk Box” interview. Less understood now is how well vaccines reduce coronavirus transmission.
In other words, someone who was vaccinated suddenly reduced their risk of getting really coronavirus, but Patel argued that precautions are needed in the coming months if a small group gathers and a person in that group does not. was vaccinated.
“If you are in a household with small children [who don’t yet qualify for the vaccine] or even high-risk children … or even you if you are at high risk despite being vaccinated, you should consider taking precautions indoors while wearing masks. Stay outdoors with people, if possible, “said Patel, a Washington primary care physician and non-resident colleague at the Brookings Institution.
“The only reason I’m saying this is that we need more data to understand what this transmission risk is,” she added.
This week’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has adjusted its quarantine guidelines for people who have been 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 who are exposed to coronavirus should not be quarantined if they do not develop symptoms.
Like Patel, the CDC recognizes the risk of a vaccinated person transmitting the virus to someone else is “uncertain.” But the reason for its modified quarantine guideline, the CDC said, is due to vaccines that are strongly effective in preventing the development of symptomatic Covid.
This is important because it is believed that people with Covid symptoms transmit the virus more than asymptomatic individuals, according to the CDC. For this reason, the CDC said that a fully vaccinated asymptomatic person should not be quarantined.
The CDC defines complete vaccination as two weeks after the second two-dose vaccine or two weeks after a single vaccine. Johnson & Johnson has applied for emergency use authorization for its single-dose vaccine, and an advisory group is set to consider it at a meeting later this month.
Patel said he believes the CDC’s quarantine guidelines could be updated again as more Americans are vaccinated. But at this stage of the pandemic, she said the United States is in a “period between.” Even though he said about one in three Americans was either vaccinated or developed natural antibodies to coronavirus due to a previous infection, “we still have enough opportunities for the other two people to promote the spread of the virus, especially a concern with these variants. more transmissible. “
To illustrate, Patel provided an insight into how she personally addresses aspects of life now that she has been vaccinated. The former Obama administration official said she continues to wear a mask in public, even though she is confident she will not get sick or die because of Covid.
“I still do all the things we talked about – which we’re pretty tired of doing – until we have more data that I can’t provide. [the virus] for 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 he worked on health care initiatives.
However, Patel said there were reasons to be optimistic and mentioned how he was thinking about seeing his parents soon. “Because I am vaccinated and after receiving a few weeks after the second dose, I will feel more comfortable talking about any risk, because it is not 100% that they will not catch the virus, but I am comfortable having a small meeting with them when we are vaccinated together, “she said.
While vaccine availability is limited at the moment, Patel noted Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recent comments on NBC’s “Today.” The nation’s leading infectious disease expert said it expects the “open season” for Covid vaccinations by April. If Fauci’s forecast materializes, Patel said he believes more Americans will be able to gather safely by summer.
“As the months go by, more and more people in your household and possibly another household, such as your parents or grandparents, are vaccinated, which could make smaller gatherings safer,” Patel said. “This is something to look forward to, because we have been holding each other for over a year now, some of us, to see older parents and high-risk relatives.”