It appears that we are entering a pretty dangerous phase of the pandemic. People are getting vaccinated and thinking that is the end of their problems. Others are seeing the numbers dropping and feel like we are at the end – and there is no longer any need to follow “the rules” or be vaccinated. In both cases even those of us who have been “being good” are tempted to go out and play after a year of being cooped up. We are all ready to see people, especially our friends and family. The CDC is fueling this idea by telling us that it is fine to have small, indoor, meetings with a small group of friends without masks or social distancing as long as everyone has been vaccinated.

However, at the same time we are being told that there are several new variants that are much more lethal and spread much easier. In addition, organizations such as UC Davis point out that they continue to require regular asymptomatic testing for access to their facilities. They say that this testing continues to be absolutely essential, even for vaccinated people, because we do not yet know everything about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing transmission or infection. It is known that the vaccines protect us from serious illness, but it is not known if they prevent us from spreading the coronavirus. UC Davis continues on to state that there is a risk that the virus may find harbor in our upper respiratory tract even after we are vaccinated. So, by getting tested regularly, we are protecting our families and friends as they wait to get vaccinated.

This is starting to sound a little like double-speak to me. We are being told that it is acceptable to meet in small indoor groups without masks or social distancing, but that it isn’t safe to do so. It might be safe for the people who are doing the gathering, but maybe not so safe for those that we then contact that aren’t yet vaccinated (assuming the vaccination works as well as they claim – which we are told unknown with the new variants).

I read this apparent double message to mean that they believe the serious infection rates are low enough to not overwhelm the hospitals. I DO NOT see anything anywhere saying that this behavior is “safe” – especially for those who are still at risk that might encounter those that have been gathering. They are saying it won’t overwhelm the medical system – period. Unfortunately, it is pretty clear that giving vaccinations without continuing all of the protective measures has the potential for creating a very large cohort of non-symptomatic infectious people capable of stealthily spreading the virus to those who are unable or unwilling to be vaccinated including those that are not yet in the approved list, those that have pre-existing conditions that prevent them from being vaccinated, and children under the age of 18 (maybe it is now 16).

My personal thoughts on this are that I am not venturing out yet. I am waiting to hear that vaccination prevents infection and spreading of the virus. My guess is that we won’t hear that because it doesn’t do that, but testing should provide the necessary data soon. If the vaccinations do not prevent infection and spreading, then there is a problem until such time as all of the people that I might encounter are no longer at risk of getting it. I don’t trust the groups of people that I might socialize with to avoid contact with anyone that might be infected – in fact, I am absolutely positive that they haven’t done that and won’t do it now.

I wonder if those that refuse to be vaccinated or follow stringent safety measures would be willing to refuse admission to a hospital should they become infected? It seems only fair that they accept the natural consequences of their behavior. Silly me – of course they would want to be treated, they just don’t want to be bothered with the other parts. Oh well, that seems to be a part of being “human”.