Omicron is not welcome at holiday gatherings.
Scientists are still trying to learn about the new variant of Covid, including how transmissible it is, how well current vaccines work against it, and where its biggest hotspots are. Many of the answers will not be known for a couple weeks, just in time for Christmas.
Without those answers, you may have to ask yourself a tough question: Is it safe to attend a holiday party?
The White House chief medical advisor said last week that if you are in a group with other people who have been vaccined, the answer is yes. Every guest should be boosted.
You might run some risk. A recent 120-person company holiday party in Norway provides some anecdotal evidence that omicron could evade vaccine protection, as more than half of them tested positive for Covid after returning from a business trip to South Africa.
At least 13 people had omicron. A company spokesman said that none of them had severe symptoms.
Fauci told CNN on Sunday that preliminary research shows that omicron could cause milder Covid infections. He said it was too soon to know if the strain posed a greater risk of death and illness.
If anyone is unvaccinated at your party, you have to make a difficult decision. Even if you are fully vaccined, you will still face a higher risk of getting sick or spreading the virus to someone else.
If you are hosting a party, you should use a combination of safety strategies, like gathering outdoors, wearing masks and maintaining social distance. You can ask your unvaccinated guests to be tested before the event as an additional layer of assurance.
Fauci said last week that the risk grows if you are in a public setting. It could mean an office holiday party at an indoor bar, or taking a crowded bus home.
Fauci said that it was very prudent to wear a mask in those situations. That is what I do. If you want to eat a cookie or drink some eggnog, you can lower your mask a bit, but keep it on as much as possible.
The most reliable way to have safe and festive holiday parties is to get your Covid vaccine and booster when you are eligible. A single dose of vaccine a few days before a party is better than no vaccine at all, according to experts.
If you have symptoms of Covid or have been exposed to someone who has it, you should skip the holiday party and get tested. It is not worth the risk.
Stay flexible. If omicron becomes more dangerous in the coming weeks, scientists will be able to gather more information about the variant, so be willing to change your plans even if it means bailing on your holiday party at the last second.
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