More than a year into the pandemic, many families who have been stuck at home are itching to go on a vacation. But don’t pack your bags quite yet, experts say.
While more adults are getting vaccinated against the coronavirus every day, children, particularly younger ones, are not expected to get the vaccines for months.
In the meantime, once all the adults in your family have been vaccinated, does that mean it’s now safe to take that long-delayed trip?
The official answer: No travel. The experts’ answer: Some travel can be safe.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still recommending against nonessential travel, even for those who have been fully vaccinated. But as Covid-19 rates go down, that guidance could change.
NBC News spoke with seven pediatric health experts about the risks of going on a family vacation before children have been vaccinated. The consensus among them was that by summer or fall, safe family getaways could be possible, provided Covid-19 cases are low.
“One of the biggest determinants of how safe things are is how much virus is circulating,” said Dr. Andrew Pavia, chief of the pediatric infectious diseases division at the University of Utah Health. “Once the level of transmission goes down dramatically in your community and in the place you’re traveling to, everything becomes safer.”
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