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Life might be slowly going back to normal for some of us, butwe arent technically post-pandemic yet.
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Its best to be fully vaccinated before you travel.
(Or until youve waited two weeks after receiving theone-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.)
That is really the best mode of travel, Dr. Thorpe says.
Henry Wu, M.D., infectious disease specialist and director of the TravelWell Center at Emory University, agrees.
But even with precautions, traveling right now isn’t for everyone.
(Experts are still looking intohow certain health conditions may affect the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.)
Study up on your destinations COVID-19 safety requirements.
Different destinations have different travel requirements, particularly if you are traveling overseas and especially if youre notvaccinated.
These rules are becoming somewhat complicated and changing regularly, Dr. Wu says.
As a scientist, shes aware thatblood tests for antibodies can be inconsistent.
The FDA specifically says [not to] use blood tests to prove immunity.
Those tests are not accurate or reliable to do that, says Dr. Doron.
Regulations apply to domestic travel too.
Otherwise, a 10-day quarantine is mandated.
While you research these kinds of regulations, also look into how common COVID-19 transmission is at your destination.
What should those precautions look like, though?
The safety precautions for getting to your destination vary slightly depending on your specific situation.
Its much easier to manage who youre exposed to that way.
(Here are some road trip safety tips that might be helpful as you plan.)
Thats true for vaccinated people and unvaccinated people.
But otherwise I feel confident in the efficacy of the vaccine, she says.
COVID-19 vaccines are very effective, especially at preventing death and severe disease.
If the virus isnt transmitting, it cant mutate into new or more resilient variants.
If your party is a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers, most of the same safety rules apply.
But experts generally agree that the chance of gettingand spreadingCOVID-19 as a fully vaccinated person is very low.
This is a strategy Dr. Wu is using before traveling to Hawaii this summer to see his parents.
All three of them are vaccinated, but hes still going to limit interactions leading up to his trip.
As for traveling withyoung, unvaccinated children, Dr. Doron says this again comes back to individual risk tolerance.
They have an extremely low risk of severe complications, she says of young children.
But youll again want to consider factors like where you’re traveling from and to.
Keep up the safety precautions while at your destination too.
The risk of traveling as the pandemic continues isnt limited to transportation.
That goes for vaccinated folks too.
Its worth noting that the delta variant surge isprimarily affecting areas with lower vaccination rates.
So I certainly would be more cautious in those areas, Dr. Wu says.
However, she still plans to choose outdoor dining whenever she has the option on her trip to Spain.
If you are thinking about traveling and you havent gotten vaccinated, now’s the time.
You will be that much more secure and confident when you do travel.
