Playbook Safe Thanksgiving as a new wave of COVID is expected

As the United States braces for a new wave of COVID-19 cases expected to start hitting around Thanksgiving, experts at Northwestern Medicine are offering a playbook for a safe holiday gathering.

Vaccines are essential for a safe Thanksgiving in 2021, which will be less restricted than last year. But Christmas will be even better once children five and older are fully immunized, experts say.

“Vaccines are a game changer, but we can’t let the pendulum go too far and pretend we got back to normal before COVID,” said Dr Sadiya Khan, assistant professor of medicine in epidemiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Special care should be taken with older people who are most vulnerable to the serious consequences of COVID-19, if they have not yet received a booster or have underlying conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, severe obesity or uncontrolled hypertension.

Khan and Mercedes Carnethon, vice president of preventive medicine at Northwestern, offer a roadmap for a safe celebration in two weeks and how that will change for Christmas.

“Nothing is without risk”

“This year the celebrations may expand somewhat, but your vaccinated oldest is still at greater risk than your unvaccinated child. Children over the age of five will not have completed the immunization round by November 25, so bringing semi-immunized children in front of older adults, some of whom are still at risk of serious illness, is risky. and acute infections, ”said Carnethon.

“The elderly are still vulnerable at indoor family celebrations, even though they have received the reminder. It is worth discussing the comfort level of older people and their at-risk status and whether they have received a booster shot. People who are immunocompromised may not have a very robust response to a booster, so I would hate for someone to rely too much on a booster. Nothing is risk-free here.

When the college kids come home

“The students were potentially vaccinated in April or May, so they are six months away from their vaccines,” Carnethon said. “But they are not yet considered eligible for a recall. Breakthrough infections in college populations are quite possible; it’s towards the end of the term and the students are stressed. Stress lowers your immune response.

“If the students live in collective settings and have not had a recall, it is a scenario that presents a risk. Vulnerable older people should be given booster shots to protect themselves. Get the booster today so you are increased with the antibodies. It takes two weeks.

Test early and often

“There are other precautions in terms of testing. Home COVID testing is widely available compared to a year ago, ”Khan said. “We always have home tests in our house. Serial testing while you are traveling can be helpful in mitigating risk. Test before you travel and before dinner. Once exposed, COVID will not show up in a test for three to five days. There is a lag, but the more frequently you test, the more likely you are to see something if it is there. If it is positive, do not travel and follow up with a PCR test. Find out if it’s a real positive.