How long does the effect of the vaccine last after the second dose?
5:08
Editor's Note:
There are few risk-free activities during the covid-19 pandemic, but there are ways to mitigate the risks.
Fully vaccinated people are, of course, at a much lower risk of contracting and spreading the coronavirus than people who have not been vaccinated.
CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen advises targeting your activities with this in mind.
(CNN) -
They had the country arts headquarters, the tailored dress, and a guest list that included about 150 of their closest friends and family.
But the pandemic had other plans.
Carly Chalmers and Mitchell Gauvin were forced to make a difficult decision about their wedding, twice.
"Everything was changing," said Chalmers, a Toronto-based chief marketing officer, whose wedding was originally scheduled for May 2020, two months after the coronavirus shutdowns began in her province.
"In March 2020, it seemed like every day something was going to happen that was like another nail in the coffin for our wedding."
The couple, who had gotten engaged in 2018, quickly changed course, opting for a small wedding on their July engagement anniversary in Chalmers 'parents' backyard and rescheduling their big reception for May 2021. Eventually, they canceled this one. Last, forever, in light of Ontario's recent spike in covid-19 cases.
"We realized that the day we wanted was not going to come," added Chalmers.
"With travel restrictions and the (slow) implementation of vaccination, we just knew that people would not feel safe."
Having to plan a wedding in normal times "is stressful enough," he added, but an added burden was having to "worry about someone getting sick and dying to come to my wedding."
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Chalmers and Gauvin's small open-air ceremony is a lower-risk way to get married during the pandemic.
But as restrictions on the coronavirus relax, some couples are opting for more elaborate celebrations, opening the door to a host of new anxieties, norms and rules of etiquette in the process.
In any case, experts say that it is paramount to prioritize the safety of your community and your guests.
This includes working with local health authorities and paying attention to local regulations, as advised by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"Until things get better, I think we have to find innovative ways to continue to enjoy, celebrate the union of two people and do it safely," said Dr. Ada Stewart, family physician at Cooperative Health in Columbia, South Carolina. , and president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
How weddings can be propagating events
The CDC continues to recommend that crowds be avoided, regardless of vaccination status.
The coronavirus spreads when infected people cough, sneeze, or talk and others breathe in the droplets, and when the coronavirus collects or flows through the air.
People can also contract the coronavirus from contaminated surfaces, but the risk is much lower, according to the CDC.
That's what makes weddings, especially those held indoors, potentially risky.
The fact that many people gather in the same place, talking, laughing, eating, drinking and dancing, and even hugging and kissing, creates an ideal environment for the virus to thrive.
A high or growing number of COVID-19 cases in the area where the event is taking place, or in the areas from which the guests come, only increases the risk.
The quality of ventilation is another factor that can make indoor weddings more dangerous.
Outdoor weddings, like the one Chalmers and Gauvin held, naturally avoid that concern.
"A totally outdoor wedding (is) very low risk, even with people whose vaccination status is unknown," said Dr. Leana Wen, CNN medical analyst, emergency physician and visiting professor of politics and health management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.
Chalmers and Gauvin said their vows under a wooden pergola, surrounded by the backyard of her parents.
"Our florist put up a gold bow and decorated it with flowers," she said by email.
“Some friends of ours who have a theater company came before and used their props to set up our signature table, which had an 'old train station' feel to it, which was very special, as my husband loves trains. ».
Chalmers and Gauvin also live-streamed their small ceremony and reception so other loved ones could attend virtually.
Virtual weddings are always a safe option, and what the CDC has advised for those unable to apply covid-19 safety precautions.
Bride-to-be Taylor Tamling-Thurn gets help from her bridesmaid as she searches for wedding dresses at Brides & Weddings in Manchester, Iowa, on April 10.
Chalmers's wedding was intimate, but it left her a bit nostalgic.
"I still remember the time we got married and walked up the tiny hallway in my parents' backyard," recalls Chalmers.
«That shocked me a lot… I always imagined that moment with all our friends and family there and they weren't there.
And also, because of the covid, I could not even hug the members of my family who were there.
Weddings in closed places
Indoor weddings are riskier, but doable if couples alter tradition to be as safe as possible.
The fact that proof of vaccination is required at the wedding "changes everything," Wen said.
"If everyone is fully vaccinated, it may not be necessary to set restrictions."
Weddings without a full vaccination requirement may have unvaccinated or partially vaccinated guests, so it's important to consider the setting, Wen said.
The security of a wedding venue may depend in part on the ability to modify the layout or seating so that people from different households can be at least 2 meters apart.
"We created a signage (from the stationery the bride and groom used throughout the planning process), reminding the guests to maintain a physical distance of two meters," said Desireé Dent, President and Chief Planner of Dejanae Events, a Chicago-based wedding and event planning company.
“We have used, like, little animated people with the arrows with the words '2 meters' in the middle of the arrows.
… It's in a 20 by 25 (centimeter) frame so you can see it.
We usually place it on a tall piece of furniture. "
Indoor air quality is also important. Work with site managers to make sure steps are taken to keep rooms well ventilated, including the ability to open windows or doors when possible. High ceilings, window fans, and HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters can also help, as can well-functioning HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems, which supply clean air and dilute possible contaminants. There is no need to resort to high-tech disinfection systems, as their effectiveness has rarely been demonstrated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA,for its acronym in English) and other government agencies
What are HEPA filters and how do they purify the air in aircraft to prevent the spread of covid-19?
Simplify to reduce the risk of covid-19
The more people there are and the more crowded they are, the greater the chances of spreading the coronavirus if someone becomes infected.
Couples can reduce capacity by going through their guest list and deciding who needs to be at the wedding, Dent said.
The size depends on the venue, but the number "in 2020, when we were in full swing, it was 50 or less," Dent said.
Even if you're planning an outdoor wedding, you still "don't want to over-invite," Dent said.
“If time is not on your side that day, you are going to have to move people inside.
And in that case we find ourselves with the situation of not having enough space.
Consider your relationships most important, "and from there, really think about your group of friends," said Dent.
"Is your best friend?
Or is it a person you have befriended at work who could potentially understand that they are not necessarily invited to this ceremony?
The length of the wedding also affects the risk of covid-19.
"Being within six feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more (in a 24-hour period) greatly increases the risk of infection and requires quarantine," the CDC said.
Therefore, longer events are riskier than shorter ones.
Shortening the event could mean not having a reception, which could also answer concerns about the spread of the coronavirus when people share a meal.
No, you shouldn't worry about getting COVID-19 through food.
This is the explanation
The matter of food at weddings
The problem with food "is that people take off their masks to eat if they are very close to each other," Wen said.
“If everyone is at least two meters apart, it is not a concern in the open air.
But if they are close together and take off their masks to eat, that increases the risk.
If food is served, people from the same household must be seated at the same table and at a minimum distance of 2 meters from each other.
Avoid buffet meals, as everyone would be touching the same serving utensils, Stewart said.
"The meals are plated (and) the guests are brought," Dent said of the pandemic weddings he has planned.
“Since we all have to remain seated when drinking and eating, the idea of snacks being passed around has been eliminated.
… Each one is put on an individual plate, covered in some way ».
Dancing, and specifically breathing harder while dancing, can also make receptions more risky, Wen said.
"The only way to do it safely is to make sure everyone who is there is vaccinated, and if that's not possible for some reason, then quarantine and get tested."
If you allow dancing, have people who live in the same house dance together at their own tables, Dent said.
A Colombian couple wins the 2020 Tango Dance World Cup virtually
"The dances with the parents, the first dance of the couple, the cutting of the cake, those ceremonial moments that you see at many weddings, are still celebrated because they are, in a sense, one on one," said Dent.
"You just have to have a space within the environment."
Fully vaccinated people can be photographed together outdoors without masks if they are at least two meters away from others.
Vaccinated and unvaccinated people photographed together should wear masks.
Stewart suggested that they avoid activities like throwing flowers, which could encourage people to crowd.
And instead of having a guest book that requires everyone to use the same pen, have a little card and pen at each seat that guests can sign.
"Now it becomes more of a scrapbook of little handwritten cards than a guest book," said Dent.
Ensuring everyone is as safe as possible
You can help guests reduce risk by setting up "hygiene stations" at the venue entrances and throughout the venue, says Dent.
These stations can include hand sanitizers, disposable masks, or custom wedding masks.
If you have the means, you can also take the test right there, said Regina Davis Moss, associate executive director for health policy and practice at the American Public Health Association.
Some venues and hotels "offer it, especially when there are guests traveling from different locations, and some states require a negative test before returning," Davis Moss said.
But be aware that test results may not reflect whether someone has just been exposed to the coronavirus but has not been infected long enough for the test results to be positive, he added.
Some couples are hiring COVID-19 compliance officers to help them politely apply safety precautions, such as physical distancing, said Annie Lee, lead planner at award-winning wedding and event planning company Daughter of Design.
Plannie, founded by Lee, is an online platform through which people can book local planners to work on hourly events.
"Through it, we also add covid compliance officers that can be hired," Lee said.
"It is not the job of the planner (or) of the venue who has to also watch over the guests and their masks and any other regulations that may exist."
Managing expectations and wedding etiquette due to the pandemic
If you plan to limit your guest list or require proof of Covid-19 vaccination, having those conversations can become awkward.
"It is up to you, as the organizer, to set the rules," Wen said.
“You could say, for example, 'The health and safety of our wedding guests is our highest priority.
Vaccines protect everyone.
Therefore, we ask that attendees be fully vaccinated, that is, two weeks after the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. '
Invited children and adults who cannot be vaccinated can be offered to quarantine and get tested instead, Wen added.
"A test in the 24-hour period before the wedding is probably sufficient."
“You can also frame it, if you wish, as' There will be people attending who are particularly vulnerable, and it is important that we help them to attend.
That's why we asked for your help, '”Wen says.
"Make it about what it really is, which is health protection."
Since invitations can't give a lot of information, Dent suggested communicating COVID-19 measurements through a wedding website.
What to do if you have already received the vaccine against covid-19, but your children have not?
Advice from Dr. Wen
“Questions and answers can be asked on the website, as well as whether a vaccination test or a negative covid test is required.
That information can be collected there, or you can give them instructions on how to send it to you, ”he said.
"I know couples who have sent an (electronic) waiver document to their guests and asked them to sign it."
As a guest, if you have to travel long distances to a wedding, you may have additional issues to consider depending on your vaccination status: CDC continues to advise unvaccinated people to stay home, but they should be tested one to three days before your trip, for example, and three to five days after you get home.
Regardless of the result of the second test, they must also remain in quarantine for seven days.
How long does the effect of the COVID-19 vaccine last after the second dose?
Dr. Huerta responds
If you are invited to a wedding where there are no security measures and you want to share your concerns, how you do it depends on your relationship with the couple, Wen says.
“If you are very close and comfortable with it, consider calling and having a frank conversation.
… They may not have thought about the benefit of these security measures.
Perhaps they will listen to various guests and consider the possibility of applying new measures, "Wen said.
Think about attending one part of the ceremony but not another, for example an outdoor ceremony but not the indoor banquet.
In the end, you might consider telling them your real reason: that you care about your health. "
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