Physician Kavita Patel, MD, who served under the Barack Obama administration, told CNBC that people who are fully vaccinated can have small gatherings with other immunized people. Patel said she plans to begin having small gatherings and seeing her parents soon after she’s fully vaccinated. She made sure to note that there are still risks involved with gathering. However, once both parties are fully vaccinated, Patel believes it’s worth discussing those risks. “I am comfortable potentially having a small gathering … when we’re all vaccinated together,” she said. And for more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Patel noted that gatherings will become more common over time. “As the months go on and more people in your household and potentially another household, like your parents or your grandparents, are vaccinated, that could make smaller gatherings safer,” she said. “That is something to look forward to because we’ve been holding off now for over a year, some of us, to see older parents and relatives with high risk.” More vaccinations are around the corner, which makes the possibility of enjoying gatherings again feel imminent. White House COVID adviser Anthony Fauci, MD, recently said he expects it to be “open season” for vaccinations by April. If Fauci’s prediction comes to fruition, Patel believes more people could be gathering by summertime. And for more on the vaccine rollout, You’ll Be Able to Get Vaccinated at Any Walgreens by This Date. During a Feb. 11 interview on Today, Fauci said once you’re fully vaccinated, you can see people—as long as they’re also fully vaccinated. He said that when both parties have gotten their shots, they can get together without a mask, hug, and continue “pulling back from restrictions.” However, Fauci cautioned that if one party is not immunized, both people should still take all the precautions when seeing each other. Even though the vaccine is preventing one person from getting physically sick, that person could be unwittingly carrying the virus in their nasopharynx and end up infecting the other. And for more expert insight, Dr. Fauci Says You’ll Easily Get a Vaccine Appointment After This Date. While you are able to safely hang out with other vaccinated people without worrying too much about public health measures, you do have to adhere to other COVID precautions, like wearing a mask, outside of those gatherings. “I’m still doing all those things we’ve been talking about—that we are pretty fatigued from doing—until we have more data that I can’t give [the virus] to somebody who has not been vaccinated,” Patel explained. And for essential mask safety guidance, If You See This on Your Mask, the FDA Says Toss It Immediately.
