The Latest: Vaccinated Americans can travel
Dear Reader,
As if you needed another reason to get vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released exciting new guidance today saying that people who are fully vaccinated can travel safely within the United States. Previously, the CDC recommended that all people avoid it.
Vaccinated travelers must still continue to follow all the usual safety precautions, like wearing masks, social distancing, and washing their hands frequently, and people who want to travel internationally must still take a Covid-19 test if their destination requires it. Still, it’s great news, and a promising sign of what will happen as more people get vaccinated.
But patience, as always, remains paramount. The pandemic is not over yet, and only 16.9% of Americans have been fully vaccinated. “As predicted, a fourth surge of Covid appears to be beginning in the U.S., fueled by spread of variants and premature reopening,” noted Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the CDC, in his weekly update on the Coronavirus Blog.
I’m looking forward to warmer weather and safely seeing friends outdoors. I’m looking forward to visiting my family in Canada once the borders are easier to traverse. What I’m not looking forward to is reliving the same frustrating experience that we all went through during the previous three surges — knowing that we could end this thing, if only we all worked together to do it. Science journalist Robert Roy Britt put it best in the Blog: “If we don’t take serious action ASAP, it’s going to get bad again. Really bad.”
We can stop this fourth wave from getting out of control if we just hold out a little while longer. Mask up, stay distanced, and get vaccinated when you can. I’m scheduled for April 11 and could not be more thrilled about it.
Stay safe and stay hopeful,
Yasmin Tayag
Editor, Medium Coronavirus Blog
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