Your questions, answered Does screening people at gatherings for vaccine status really make a difference? It seems we now know that even those who are vaccinated can carry and transmit the virus. So does it make a difference to ensure all attendees are vaccinated? — Diane A., Calif. A fully vaccinated and boosted person can still become infected with and spread coronavirus. Even when people have had four shots of vaccine, they can still get an infection — as happened recently with Vice President Harris. That said, being vaccinated and boosted is highly — and durably — protective against severe illness. And people who are up to date on their shots are still less likely to be carrying the virus when they attend an event. "As a strategy to enforce that vaccination is important and expected of adults who are going to engage in society, yes, requiring vaccination remains critical," said Mercedes Carnethon, an epidemiologist at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine: "Requiring vaccination also mitigates the risk of the most severe outcomes if there is an outbreak. No event host wants to find out their guests ended up in the hospital or dead." But public health officials do vary on whether vaccine requirements should be necessary. Jeff Duchin, a top health officer for Seattle and King County, said studies suggest that vaccinated people are less likely to transmit the virus even if they do develop covid-19. He said testing and being up to date on vaccines and boosters is the best combination of factors to consider before an event — as well as wearing a high-quality mask in a crowded or poorly ventilated setting. But Andrew Noymer, an epidemiologist at the University of California at Irvine, is skeptical that vaccine requirements today offer a public health benefit that's worth the controversy they may generate. "Given what we now know about covid spread among vaccinated people, I don't think it makes sense on a practical level to check vaccine cards at the doors of an event," he said, because vaccines are not as big of a buffer to infection than was thought at their advent. Noymer suggests that doing rapid tests at the door of an event is a more effective way to protect people, despite the logistical hurdles. | 
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