Immunization Ambassadors

This doesn’t have to be as hard as some make it out to be. Risk reduction is additive and by layering on as many precautions as possible, I can significantly reduce the likelihood of exposure and infection. I will do that as I resume getting back out into the world.

Travel and in-person meetings are not without risk. I might still get COVID despite my precautions. But this is not a choice solely between lockdowns and let ‘er rip. I can take steps to greatly *reduce* my risk, to protect myself and others around me as much as possible.

8. My default greeting will not be hugging people. I’ll shake hands but will also regularly sanitize and wash them because that’s good hygiene practice anyway.

7. This is a clinical microbiology conference so there’s a requirement for vaccination and/or testing. That will further help reduce exposure risk, as vaccinated people are less likely to get infected with omicron and less likely to transmit onwards. Note I said LESS likely.

6. Won’t use the hotel gym and will instead work out by going for a run or just walking around Lisbon (which I normally do anyway when visiting new cities). Bonus: provides more opportunities to check out outdoor bars/cafes/restaurants.

5. When going to cafes/bars/restaurants/places to eat or drink I will look at capacity, crowding, and outdoor dining options. Will avoid crowded or packed indoor spaces. When outdoor isn’t an option, I’ll look for larger indoor spaces with lots of open windows/ventilation.

4. On plane, I’ll turn up the fan at my seat. Airplanes in flight have great HEPA filtration, so increasing airflow at my seat will reduce my exposure risk. I do sometimes eat/drink in flight & on this trip I lucked out with an upgrade, but will only remove mask briefly for that.

3. That means wearing a KN95 or N95 respirator in public places most of the time when I am not eating, drinking, or giving my talk. Especially important at the airport, in taxis, on trains, etc.

2. But there’s still a lot of omicron around and it is antigenically different enough that it can still cause breakthroughs so I’ll use additional precautions.

1. Vaccination. I’ve had 4 doses of COVID vaccine. 1 J&J in the US, 3 Pfizers in Canada (issues with international transfer of my vaccine records so I had to get fully vaccinated here for my Canadian vaccine SMART card). Last dose January 2022. #VaccinesWork

Lots of anecdotes about people getting COVID at in-person conferences. I went to one last week in Boston and next week am going to one in Portugal. Both require negative testing for international travel. Here’s how I plan to not get COVID.