Is It Safe to Travel? Can I Still See My Family on Christmas?

Is Omicron actually going to destroy Christmas?

Ever since Covid-19 circumstances started rising sharply, long-awaited plans to see pals and kin have immediately been known as into query. We need to see each other — however ought to we?

So far it seems as if Omicron received’t make a dent in vacation journey. AAA estimates that greater than 109 million Americans will journey through the Christmas and New Year’s vacation season, a 34 % improve from 2020.

But Omicron seems to be essentially the most contagious variant but. Should we fear about visiting older kin? Is flying thought of secure? What about Christmas dinner?

We requested three epidemiologists and a psychologist to assist untangle these and different sophisticated questions, and supply suggestions on staying secure. Here is their steering.

Is aircraft journey OK?

On Friday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s high infectious illness skilled, stated on CNBC that regardless of Omicron, those that are vaccinated “and hopefully also boosted” ought to really feel “reasonably comfortable” having fun with the vacations at a member of the family’s dwelling, and that he “would not hesitate” to get on a aircraft if he had to.

But “the risk is never zero, that’s for sure,” he added.

In the top, the reply relies upon on your private tolerance for threat and the way necessary the journey is to you.

Experts say it’s essential to rely on a layered method to decreasing threat, specifically: getting vaccinated, getting a booster shot if eligible, carrying a masks, having correct air flow and utilizing speedy dwelling testing.

Katelyn Ok. Jetelina, an assistant professor of epidemiology on the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, is touring to California on Sunday together with her two younger ladies, 2 and 14 months. She is ready to cancel their flight at a second’s discover if she and her husband begin to really feel uneasy. So far, nonetheless, she isn’t overly involved about air journey.

“I would consider it a low risk because of filtration systems and ventilation, as well as masks are required — not only that, they’re enforced,” she stated.

If individuals on the aircraft are taking off their masks for prolonged durations of time for snacks or meals, that will increase the chance of an infection for everybody on that aircraft, she added. So she suggested leaving your masks on. “Masks protect the wearer, too,” she stated. “Not just the people around them.”

Dr. Jetelina recommends upgrading to an N95 masks, when you haven’t already. For youngsters, she suggests KN95s as a result of N95s don’t come of their sizes.

Many public well being consultants suggest the KF94 masks, which is made in South Korea, due to its high quality, excessive filtration fee and cushty match.

When requested about masks on Friday, Dr. Fauci stated that whereas the N95 was the very best masks at blocking aerosol and droplet particles, they are often comparatively uncomfortable to put on. “A regular surgical mask as well as a cloth mask is fine,” he added.

Getting to and from the flight creates extra threat as a result of the journey provides extra alternatives for publicity. So as a substitute of taking a automobile service, Dr. Jetelina has requested her vaccinated kin to come to the airport and choose her and her household up.

Her household can also be aiming to reduce publicity to indoor crowds, particularly in locations which will have poor air flow. Either she or her husband will take the youngsters outdoors whereas the others wait at baggage declare, for instance.

Dr. Michael Mina, a former Harvard epidemiologist who’s now the chief science officer for eMed, an organization that verifies at-home take a look at outcomes, stated he plans to fly to Colorado this month together with his spouse and 2-month-old daughter.

“This isn’t going to be the last variant, and I think that we have the ability to gather safely if we do it right,” he stated.

How can speedy exams assist us?

Rapid antigen exams, which might point out inside minutes whether or not somebody is contagious with Covid-19, are among the finest methods to assist guarantee everybody’s security this vacation season, the consultants stated.

The exams stay costly — a typical two-pack prices $14 to $24 — and generally they are often arduous to observe down in shops. But when you’re lucky sufficient to have some on hand, Dr. Mina suggests that everybody take a look at quarter-hour earlier than gathering. It’s necessary to do the take a look at in a room-temperature setting like a automobile, he added, as a result of the exams lose a few of their efficacy if they’re performed in temperatures beneath 55 levels.

Dr. Jetelina and her household can be utilizing the exams proper earlier than heading to the airport, as soon as they land after which each different day earlier than their members of the family collect for Christmas.

If your take a look at is unfavorable, you possibly can really feel reassured that you’re not infectious at that second. Because the exams perform as a snapshot in time, taking one on the day earlier than a gathering isn’t helpful.

If you get a optimistic speedy take a look at, you shouldn’t spend time with different individuals, stated Eleanor Murray, an epidemiologist on the Boston University School of Public Health. But get affirmation with a P.C.R. take a look at as a result of false positives can occur.

What else can we do to keep secure?

Eat outdoor when you can. And in case you are attending an indoor gathering, open the home windows and contemplate shopping for a HEPA air air purifier to scale back the quantity of airborne virus, Dr. Mina stated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that every one eligible individuals get vaccinated and boosted and keep away from crowded indoor areas earlier than journey, notably if they are going to be gathering with individuals from a number of households.

Those with weakened immune programs will not be absolutely protected even when they’re absolutely vaccinated and have obtained an extra dose, the company stated, so they need to proceed to take all precautions advisable for unvaccinated individuals.

“The challenge is that everyone has their own risk tolerance level,” Dr. Jetelina stated. “Someone that doesn’t want to get infected at all? Then no, they shouldn’t hop on a plane.” But by taking the correct precautions, she added, you possibly can scale back your threat.

Dr. Murray is taking a extra conservative method this vacation season.

“Omicron really drives home for me the importance of deciding not to travel this winter,” she stated. “So I am staying home.”

For her, the dangers of both contracting or spreading Covid proper now are too excessive. Although the vaccines are very efficient at stopping extreme sickness, they don’t seem to be good, she stated, and the members of the family she can be visiting this Christmas have younger youngsters who aren’t but eligible for vaccination.

She advisable taking inventory of your particular scenario. For instance, do you reside in an space with a excessive proportion of Covid circumstances? Are you touring to an space that has a excessive proportion of circumstances? Will you be gathering with a big group or a small group? Are you consuming inside or outdoors? It’s additionally necessary to take into accounts whether or not the individuals you’ll be seeing are vaccinated and boosted; when you’re planning to go to multiple dwelling; and the provision of speedy exams for your self and your family members.

How do you weigh loneliness?

Families ought to take into consideration the psychological well being ramifications of staying aside, an necessary consideration that always will get misplaced when analyzing the dangers of contracting the virus.

“I think you have to make up a pro and con list, not only about physical safety, but also emotional needs,” stated Barbara Greenberg, a medical psychologist in Fairfield County, Conn. “Will it be harder for you to see your family? Or will the anxiety of not seeing them weigh more heavily?”

In her observe, she added, “person after person are talking about how sad they are about spending the holiday without family again,” she stated. “Loneliness and isolation are setting in.”