"Just when we thought it was safe to travel again (post-vaccine, that is), the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus reared its head. Should this latest threat put the brakes on your wanderlust?
We reached out to infectious-disease experts for advice. Here's what they had to say.
Should we be traveling now? And what factors should go into the decision?
Of course, nothing is risk-free, including travel. At the same time, if you're fully vaccinated and have a healthy immune system, doctors say, the risk is low.
"It's important to know where you are going and who you are going to be with," says Davey Smith, head of the division of infectious diseases and global public health at the University of California, San Diego. "Are your traveling companions or the people you are visiting also vaccinated and healthy?" If they are, the risks are reduced. If they aren't, it raises the risks someone will get sick.
That doesn't mean not traveling. It just means you might take some extra precautions. "Think of the vaccine as like a bulletproof vest," says Dr. Smith. "It doesn't make you invincible, but it reduces the chances you will come to serious harm."
And there are considerations other than just your physical well-being, says Catherine Troisi, an infectious-disease epidemiologist with the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston.
"Mental health is important," Dr. Troisi says. "My husband and I went to see our grandchildren this spring and summer, and I'm willing to take a risk to do that.
"Like most things in life, it's a cost-benefit analysis," she says. "What are the consequences if you did get infected -- are you at a higher risk or do you live with someone who's higher risk?"
Is it safe to fly?
"Airplanes have very good air-filtration systems, so the risk isn't on the plane," says Dr. Troisi, as long as passengers obey federal mask requirements and practice good health hygiene. "Where your risk is higher is at the airport, where you're waiting at the gate, or you're walking through the terminal with tons of people."
She suggests sitting at a gate where there isn't a flight departing and where people can get more space for themselves.
Air travelers should "observe all those fundamentals we learned during the pandemic for reducing risk," says David Aronoff, director of the division of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.
That includes "watching the distance between ourselves and other people, and avoiding bunching up at choke points like security areas," Dr. Aronoff says.
Even with a hospital-grade air ventilation system onboard, planes are fuller these days, so you can raise your comfort level with an N95 or KN95 mask that can filter out up to 95% of microbes, he says. "When fitted properly, they are good options for people who have risk factors for doing poorly with Covid 19, especially those who are not immunized."
How much depends on the kind of place you're staying?
"It really matters not just where you are going but what you are doing once you're there," says Dr. Smith. "If you're staying in a hostel with a whole bunch of kids in one room, that's one thing. But if you are going to an Airbnb where you can control a lot of your exposure, you can decrease your risk. And many hotels and resorts are very good about social distancing -- limiting the number of people in elevators. They are quite aware of safety issues."
Should you travel with children?
"If they're 12 or older, get them vaccinated," says Dr. Troisi. "For younger, you really need to weigh the risks. Travel by car is safer, but you don't want to be eating indoors at restaurants during the trip -- bring your own food and picnic or get takeout. Basically, you need to do everything you can to avoid exposure to others, and avoid mass transit unless absolutely necessary."
On Aug. 20, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that travelers at increased risk for severe illness avoid cruise-ship travel, even if they're vaccinated. Should we be taking cruises?
"The cruise-ship industry is doing their best to follow the science mandating vaccines and incorporating testing," says Dr. Smith. Even so, he says, "cruises have three strikes against them -- older folks usually go on them, they have lots of people in small, confined spaces, and they have lots of communal eating places."
Should you travel to areas where the illness is prevalent and/or where healthcare systems are poor?
Dr. Troisi notes that the virus variant has pushed up case numbers in almost every corner of the world, even in countries with a high percentage of vaccinated citizens, like Iceland and Israel. "Delta's everywhere," she says, and "most places aren't looking very good" as infection rates rise.
But there again, she says, it comes down to your individual risk profile and what choices you make. "Can you forgo that holiday trip and go at a slower time of year? Can you drive to your destination? Unless you're driving with your immediate family to a cabin in the woods, there's nothing that's risk-free."" [1]
1. Travel (A Special Report) --- Is It Safe? Answers to Common Questions: Being vaccinated reduces many, but not all, of the risks
Peterson, Barbara. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 28 Aug 2021: R.10.
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