You are fully vaccinated but your friend is not. How safe is it to hang out? We asked an expert
Asking for a Friend is a new series that tackles readers' tricky vaccine scenarios with advice from medical experts. In the first instalment, we're looking into the potential risks of getting together with a friend who is unvaccinated and how to do so in the safest way possible.
The scenario:
Now that Ontario has more relaxed rules on gatherings, you're making plans with friends you haven't seen in more than a year. You tell your friend that you're fully vaccinated and they tell you they haven't been vaccinated at all.
How risky would it be to hang out with your unvaccinated friend?
Expert advice: Communication is key
Before planning an outing with your friend, family physician Dr. Jennifer Kwan suggests determining any risk factors early by asking important questions like: do any of you have underlying conditions that could result in severe symptoms? Are any of you living with someone who's vulnerable to COVID-19?
If you're fully vaccinated, you could still potentially be infected, albeit with a milder case, and you could still potentially transmit to other people," Kwan said. What if that's transmitting to the unvaccinated friend who would definitely have relatively higher risks for severe outcomes or transferring to other contacts back at home or in other gatherings?"
Kwan says there are still ways to hang out with your unvaccinated friend that minimizes transmission risks - for example, doing outdoor activities like hiking or a picnic at a park. Having your friend over for an indoor visit could potentially be riskier, so Kwan suggests keeping a few windows open for improved ventilation.
Though it isn't always easy, Kwan says that having open conversations about vaccination statuses are crucial before getting together with friends. Kwan addresses her friends' legitimate vaccine concerns by using information from credible public health resources as well as her own experiences with COVID-19 patients.
I think people think that if they aren't going to die from the virus, then things are fine," Kwan said. But my patients who are still experiencing chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, tingling sensations, loss of smell and taste, even a year out, I think they would disagree that (COVID-19) is mild if you don't die."
According to Kwan, the most important thing to remember before deciding to see someone is that there is no one-size-fits-all way of determining transmission risks. So it's important to stay up to date with COVID-19 case numbers in your area.
If you're living in an area where cases are increasing and there's significant variant circulation then that also increases your risk in addition to your own personal risk factors and exposures," Kwan said.
Not sure how safe a vaccine scenario is? We want to hear from you. Write to us about the scenario weighing on your mind here.
Celina Gallardo is a Toronto-based staff reporter for the Star. Reach her via email: cgallardo@thestar.ca