Columbus Dispatch: Another COVID Summer?

As we approach our third summer with COVID as part of our lives, how will 2022 be different from the summers of 2020 and 2021? Experts say one positive this summer is that vaccines are widely available, options like Paxlovid (the “COVID-pill”) are on the market and accessible for those who contract the virus and there is more immunity to the virus. 

The Columbus Dispatch recently looked at a variety of summer activities and if they are safe to partake in this summer.  One of them was large outdoor gatherings like concerts and festivals.

Joe Gastaldo, MD, OhioHealth system medical director of infectious diseases told the Dispatch that while community transmission is on the rise, cases are more mild and central Ohio is not seeing a large influx of COVID patients.  But, he said people need to consider their own risks before they choose to attend an event.  

"Outdoor events are always safer than indoors," Dr. Gastaldo told reporter Max Filby. "But any event, indoors or outdoors, can be a riskier scenario for immunocompromised people."

And what about summer travel?  Is that beach vacation or trip to Europe safe?

In short - yes, it can be safe.  But Dr. Gastaldo recommends if you are traveling you check local COVID trends, precautions and restrictions.  And even though they aren't required anymore, consider wearing a mask in the airport and on the plane.

“I’m less concerned about younger, healthier people; if these people are up to date with their vaccines and they get COVID, they are very, very likely to have mild cold or flu symptoms and not be hospitalized,” Dr. Gastaldo told the Dispatch. "Elderly, at-risk and immunocompromised persons really need to be up to date with their vaccines to have maximal protection."

To read the full story in the Columbus Dispatch, click here.