Air travel while partially vaccinated?

Question

I had planned a trip to New York with some family for late April. At the time we didn’t know what the vaccination situation would look like. A month ago, I backed out of the trip but didn’t cancel anything formally. The folks I was going with were early vaccine recipients so planned to move forward. Then, I unexpectedly got my first Pfizer dose in early April. The trip would fall a few days before I’d go in for my second dose. Part of me feels like it shouldn’t change anything. I’m not fully vaccinated. There will be other trips if I just wait a few weeks, right? The people I would be going with really want me to go. They point out that protection may be upwards of 80% after one dose. I’m feeling pretty torn.

Anonymous · Answer

The vaccine is fully protective 2 weeks AFTER the 2nd dose.  If your friends/family really cared about you, they would not be asking you to take a chance like this. Vacations come and go.  Death from COVID is forever.  For some of the longhaulers, feeling sick from COVID might also be forever.  I am a Republican and I wear a mask and got vaccinated.

JuanB · Answer

I am trying to plan a trip on a similar situation.  what is keeping me away is logistics and rules in the place I am travelling to, not the vaccine issue.

My understanding is at that time I am pretty much as protected as I am going to be.  The second dose will work more to extend the length of protection.  Your main concern would be watching the new strains and if any statistics come out on their effect on one dose.

A Hunch · Answer

Over 4000 Americans have died of covid after being diagnosed more than 3 weeks after being fully vaccinated. 
We know that the vaccine effectiveness is no where near reported.  They have already been adjusted down 5% and the rates of covid among test participants is still over 65% less than the general public.

Considering the vaccine as some kind of savior is really short sighted.

As of October, there were 49 cases of covid attributed to air travel.
Millions of people fly each week.
Have you heard of any flight attendant getting covid?  I haven't and I know from first hand experience they mostly just wear regular cotton masks and don't really social distance.

When considering this trip, I'd evaluate much more what is open and what is closed.  And whether what you want to do will be open to an enjoyable level or not.
If you aren't in NYC or California, you probably have no understanding what it means to be closed.

There will be other trips if I just wait a few weeks, right?  We have no idea.  Out of my family and close friends, there have been more than a dozen people close to us that have died in the past 18 months and only 1 is a covid death
= cancer, stroke, bowel obstruction, general old age, etc.

D.E.B.S. · Answer

Millions of people fly daily and have been for the last year.  What are you worried about?  Your chances of getting sick and dying are less than getting into a car accident.  Get over it.

sunshine_mel · Answer

If you don't feel safe going, then don't go. Their chosen actions (being fully vaccinated) are up to them; you don't have to follow suit.

Anonymous · Answer

Air travel is pretty safe. So that’s not a huge concern. There was a study that says airplane filters can remove the virus so it’s unlikely that you’ll get infected while flying. Just wear your mask, have the air on so that there’s circulation.

The two dose vaccines have over 80% efficacy in real life studies but only about 50% in trials. I would trust the real world studies since it has more data collections.

Even if you get covid, your symptoms will be milder than without any protection. Your body got a head start after fighting the fake virus.

Air travel while partially vaccinated?

6 Answers