![]() And since many cases of COVID-19 can be symptom-free, any event-goer might "consider testing before you go to a gathering," says Souleles. "If you're not up to date yet, a big gathering indoors should be incentive, so check CDC guidelines for timing and eligibility of vaccine doses." If you decide to go, consider your own health the day of the event – and test yourself just in caseĪre you feeling OK? Are you feeling ill? A test can tell you if you have the virus. Think about your own statusīeing vaccinated and boosted is still one of the most important tools to reduce both the spread of COVID-19 and also the severity if you contract the virus, says Malani. Also ask if people must be masked indoors and if masks will be provided - but bring your own in case they run out and so you can have the mask that is most comfortable for you, says Malani. Souleles also points out that "we don't necessarily always have to go to everything, particularly when the risk is higher." Check ahead with the host or event sponsorsĪsk the host questions that can help you make an informed decision about attending – although keep in mind that their answers may not fully match your needs.Īsk if people must be vaccinated and/or tested to attend, and if they have to show proof or are on the honor system. "And having upcoming events that are important to you may make you dial up the mitigation for some social events or meetings even if there isn't high community transmission where you will be." "There will be times in our lives when it will be especially disappointing to get COVID, even aside from the risks of severe disease, long COVID and spreading it to others," says Malani, who was recently hypervigilant on a flight from Portugal to the U.S. If you get sick, can you afford to take days off? Would you risk missing another important event on your calendar? Malani says with cases increasing, you may also want to think about your schedule before deciding whether to attend a social event. Or you might decide to accept the risk but take precautions, such as wearing a mask whenever you're indoors with other people, especially if you don't know their COVID or vaccination status, says Charlotte Baker, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Virginia Tech. "If, for example, community transmission is high, and you're at personal high risk because you are immunocompromised, or live with someone who is, or want to visit someone who is, or you have underlying health conditions, you might make the decision not to go to the event because it's too much risk." That's the point at which everyone needs to do some individual risk assessment, Souleles says. Souleles says checking the CDC data "will give you a sense of community transmission in that community so you know what you're wading into." ![]() What to consider before the eventĭavid Souleles, director of the COVID-19 response team at University of California, Irvine, advises checking the Centers for Disease Control's COVID-19 county level tracker before any big social gathering, especially if any activities will be held indoors. Here's how Dr.Preeti Malani, chief health officer at the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geriatric Medicine at the University of Michigan, thinks of it: When you attend a function, you have to assume that there may be people there who have asymptomatic, if not symptomatic, COVID-19.Īnd with that assumption in mind, there are some specific ways you can protect yourself. "And it's more than you think because we are under-detecting cases." "For large events, especially those held indoors, the risk of being exposed to COVID-19 is increasing by the day," says Karan. So whether it's weddings, bar mitzvahs, conferences or high-profile events like the White House Correspondents Dinner, COVID-19 is clearly spreading at some of gatherings – even though guests were told they all had to be vaccinated to attend. That's because COVID-19 cases are rising in some parts of the world, like India and South Africa, and in some U.S. Abraar Karan, an infectious disease fellow at Stanford. It might be a small comfort, but more and more people are asking a variation of that question these days, says Dr. I went to a wedding a few days ago and just learned that several people have since tested positive for COVID-19. If you have a question you'd like us to consider for a future post, email us at with the subject line: "Weekly Coronavirus Questions." See an archive of our FAQs here. We regularly answer frequently asked questions about life during the coronavirus crisis. Based on COVID cases among attendees at the main event, SARS-CoV-2 was mingling as well.Īmanda Andrade-Rhoades/for The Washington Post via Getty Images Journalists and politicians mingled at an afterparty following the White House Correspondents Dinner on April 30.
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