Ask Dr. Wen
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"We have an unvaccinated 2-year-old grandson. I recently learned that the aesthetician that I go to is unvaccinated. I am fully vaccinated with a booster. If she wears a mask, am I okay going to these appointments and still keep our grandson safe?" — Maryellen from Indiana Very few activities are totally risk-free, and the level of risk depends on several factors. What kind of treatments are you getting done? Are you able to keep your mask on the whole time? For example, if you're having your eyebrows shaped and you can wear an N95 or KN95 the whole time, that's very low risk. But if you have to take your mask off for an hour-long procedure, that substantially increases exposure. Also, what's the setting of the aesthetician's practice? If it's in a well-ventilated and spacious space, that's better than if it's in a cramped salon. Are there other customers or beauticians around you who could be maskless and unvaccinated? At the end of the day, whether you continue seeing the aesthetician depends on your tolerance of risk and the importance of these visits to your life. If you do continue to go, it would for both of you to wear high-quality masks whenever feasible. "I have a musical colleague who can't get vaccinated for medical reasons. So when we did a gig together recently, I asked her to do a PCR test, which she willingly did. My question is that the unvaccinated are accused of being the problem and simply told they should get vaccinated and it's all their fault. Would it be possible to write something explaining what such a person CAN do to protect themselves and others, without making them a scapegoat?" — Virginia from California On a policy level, people really should be vaccinated so as to not further prolong the pandemic. It's also the unvaccinated who constitute the majority of those being hospitalized for covid-19, at a time when health-care resources are stretched. In addition, there are few, if any, legitimate medical reasons why someone can't be vaccinated. A severe allergy to one type of vaccine (for example, the mRNA vaccines Pfizer or Moderna) means they should get the other type of vaccine (the Johnson & Johnson vaccine). Having a previous infection is often cited as a reason for why someone doesn't want to get vaccinated, but it isn't a medical contraindication. To your point, though, it doesn't work to shame the unvaccinated when dealing with them on an individual level. Moreover, there may be circumstances where we have to interact with unvaccinated friends, family members or colleagues, and I think your message is a helpful reminder that we should come up with guidance for these situations. The best way to reduce risk is to interact with unvaccinated individuals outdoors only. For many people, that's not possible. I've written before about the "2 out of 3" rule for indoor encounters — that you need two out of three things: vaccines, masking or testing. If someone isn't vaccinated, they should be masked (with a high-quality mask) and also tested. The best test is one that can be done right before the gathering. If a PCR test can come back within a few hours, and on the same day as the event, that's great; if not, I'd prefer a rapid test that can be done just before seeing that person. "My daughter has tickets to a play. She is planning to take her 10-year-old daughter. Both are fully vaccinated and my daughter is boosted. They will both be masked for the entire performance. Is it safe for them to attend?" — Amy from Vermont If they are both wearing high-quality masks the whole time, and they do not take them off to eat or drink at any point while in the crowded theater, I think they could go ahead and watch the play. Enjoy! | 
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