Riding the Next Covid Wave

As the Delta Covid-19 variant surges, we are again asking how we should adapt our practices to the new reality.

Two weeks before, one week after

One frequently asked question: Do our medications like steroids affect viral and vaccine activity? The AAOS Patient Safety Committee recommends avoiding musculoskeletal corticosteroid injections for two weeks before and one week after COVID vaccine administration. Currently there is no direct evidence of the impact of corticosteroid injections on vaccine efficacy.

How about the CDC and large gatherings like our annual meetings?

The most recent CDC guidance in non-healthcare settings says fully vaccinated people can participate in many of the activities that they did before the pandemic. They can also:

• resume travel

• refrain from testing before or after travel and from self-quarantine after (unless required by an international destination)

• refrain from routine screening testing, if feasible

As for prevention, the agency recommends fully vaccinated people wear masks in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission. And remember, local guidance supersedes federal guidance in many jurisdictions.