With many #comic and #anime #conventions returning with waiting crowds, a serious problem remains: not everyone has been #vaccinated against #COVID19 and many #unvaccinated individuals are going to crowded indoor spaces. This problem is made worse by the fact that many of the unvaccinated are not wearing protective masks or following social distancing guidelines to protect themselves and their loved ones from infection. As reported on June 28, 2021, nearly all COVID-19 related deaths in the U.S. are among the unvaccinated: of more than 18,000 people who recently died from COVID-19, only about 150 were fully vaccinated, which is less than 1%.
⛔️ Over 99% of the people dying from COVID-19 are unvaccinated.
Should You Attend a Crowded Convention?
To answer this question, we will first share this set of guidelines issued by the CDC on June 28, 2021:
ℹ️ If you are fully vaccinated, the CDC recommends that it’s safe to attend crowded indoor events, but this does not mean that you can’t become infected.
⛔️ If you are NOT fully vaccinated, then the CDC recommends that you DO NOT attend crowded indoor events, even if you are masked because you cannot maintain social distancing.
Here’s What You Should Assume
⚠️ If you have been fully vaccinated and you attend a crowded convention, you should ALWAYS ASSUME that there will be people in the convention hall WHO AREN’T VACCINATED and MAY BE INFECTED WITH COVID-19.
Recommendations
It’s a known fact for anyone who has attended multiple conventions that many attendees will go to the convention even when they know that they’re sick. This is who the so-called “con-crud” spreads.
For this reason, it may be a good idea to wear a protective mask while attending a convention to help further reduce the possibility of being infected. It’s also highly advisable to wash your hands frequently and don’t put them up to your face or eyes.
Even if you are fully vaccinated and you are fearful for your health and the health of your loved ones, you don’t have to attend any conventions until more people have been vaccinated to help reduce the spread of the disease. With the numerous COVID-19 variants that are spreading, it remains somewhat unclear how effective current vaccines are against all of them.
If you aren’t vaccinated, please do so as soon as possible, especially before you attend any crowded events. If you don’t plan to get vaccinated, attending a crowded event not only puts yourself at risk, but many other innocent individuals. Please take this disease seriously as over 600,000 people have died in the U.S.; worldwide, nearly 4,000,000 people have died as of the time that this post was written.
Costuming, Cosplay & Costume Clubs 101 