Thursday, February 17, 2022
Dear Friends:
Hope you are all doing well. Here is the update from my last note to you from six weeks ago.
COVID-19 cases spiked to unprecedented highs in mid-January, and fell just as quickly. Cases may be under-reported because home tests are not routinely reported to the state health department. The Omicron variant is highly infectious, but does not cause as much severe disease. The number of hospitalized cases was much lower than with Delta, and most occurred in the unvaccinated, or in those with underlying medical conditions. By March 19, Beth and Stephen’s Wedding Day, we hope that case counts will approach pre-surge levels. The risk of COVID-19 will not be zero, but it should be substantially less than it was during the surge.
For the wedding, we are making pragmatic decisions and using the honor system, based upon the science, and the sensibilities of all of our local guests and those who will be coming in from out of town.
We will NOT be checking for results at the wedding. We trust that you will do the right thing. We appreciate anything you can do to contribute to the safety and health of all.
For those who have had a documented COVID-19 infection anytime after Christmas, 2021, through March 14, 2022, you should be ok. It is likely that you had the Omicron variant, and the risk of reinfection at the time of the wedding should be very small.
FOR ALL OTHERS:
Our best practice will be to get a PCR or Antigen test 48 hours before the wedding. If Antigen positive, get a rapid PCR to confirm. We understand that this may not be feasible. But do the best you can.
If you get sick before coming to Charleston, get an Antigen test or PCR test. If you are here in Charleston, call or text me at 404-245-6797. I make house calls, and I can get a PCR with a 20 minute turnaround.
Masking at the wedding with a medical grade mask or N95 or KN95 is not mandatory, but is encouraged, particularly for those who have chosen not to be vaccinated or who have underlying medical conditions of concern. CDC may be updating their recommendations about masking next week, so stay tuned.

What’s the basis for these recommendations?
I have conferred with my colleagues in infectious diseases and laboratory medicine here in Charleston, and at the Mayo Clinic.
If you have had confirmed COVID-19 over the last 3 months, your immunity against re-infection prior to the wedding is pretty strong.
If you have completed your vaccination series of two doses plus booster, you are still at risk of contracting the Omicron variant, which has figured out how to evade our immune systems. The good news is that you are protected against severe COVID-19 infection and risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death.
If you have not started your vaccination series, or gotten your booster, it is not too late. So, do it.
The antigen tests, which include all of the do-it-yourself home tests, become unreliable as the number of cases in the community go down. There may be false positive as well as false negative results. PCR is the gold standard.

Hope this all helps. Again, if you have any questions, feel free to call/text me at 404-245-6797 or eigmd@medconsults.net Looking forward to seeing all of you. It’s going to be a great time.

Ed Galaid, FOB