What does the COVID-19 vaccine mean for your 2021 event?

The push to find a vaccine for the Covid-19 was a truly miraculous feat. In an amount of time, that almost no one thought was possible; not one, but several vaccines have been approved to prevent COVID-19.

While that is fantastic, it is unfortunately not a green light for returning to events of the past, with hundreds of acquaintances packed into a small hotel ballroom, dancing, singing and hugging.

William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University, told the Washington Post in November he expects a “substantial improvement” by summer, although probably not a complete return to our former lives, adding: “Next Thanksgiving could well be back to near-normal.”

So, until nearly the end of the year, events including birthdays and weddings, most safeguards will need to be kept in place to prevent the spread of the disease.

While it may sound unfortunate, it does not mean you should wait another year for your event or ceremony. There are many ways where you can still have your event safely with a minimal risk of COVID transmission.

One item being discussed is a national database to allow people to show they have been vaccinated. Ticketmaster has discussed using this system as a way to start having live concerts and not allowing any person without a vaccine into the show. That probably won’t work for your wedding; especially if your mother-in-law is one of the 40 percent of Americans who say they will refuse to take the vaccine. And, it’s really not a romantic gesture to have your best friends and your family show you their medical history before celebrating.

A less intrusive way to keep the festivities going and to help minimize the risk of COVID for your guests, is to utilize Medek Health’s Antibody Tests for anyone who has not had the vaccine.

At a low price – about the cost of two hand-served appetizers – you can provide these antibody tests for your guests, showing if they are COVID free, have had the disease before, or have an active infection. Helping keep everyone safe and following safety protocols.

While the tests are not to be used to diagnose COVID, they are a great way to provide surveillance for your guest list. And, your guests will enjoy taking the tests, watching the tests change and sharing their results with everyone.

Going forward, event marketers that do impose testing requirements — or proof of vaccination — may have a marketing advantage.

This will help encourage event planning and get people back to normal again.

For more on Covid-19 Testing, contact Medek Health today.