| In this week's edition of the Covid Q&A, we look at the rules for attending larger gatherings as parts of the world continue to open up. In hopes of making this very confusing time just a little less so, each week Bloomberg Prognosis is picking one question sent in by readers and putting it to experts in the field. This week's question comes to us from Judy in Newport News, Virginia. In Judy's part of the state, the vaccination rate is quite low. She's vaccinated herself, but wonders how to safely attend large events where many others might not be. Judy asks:
If you're vaccinated and attend what previously could have been a "super spreader" event, such as a Southern funeral with maskless hugging, should you be on the lookout for symptoms and if so, what is the time frame? As things look more and more like normal, vaccination status has become part of all the risk assessment that comes with daily life in a pandemic. But your own vaccination status isn't the only important thing to consider. Also key to this equation are the number of Covid cases and hospitalizations in your local area, as well as the number of vaccinated people around you. Going to a funeral where most people are vaccinated presents a very different risk profile compared with one where most people are not. The underlying questions are, what is the likelihood you might be in a place where the virus could spread, and, how likely is it that might affect you?
"At a big wedding in a place like San Francisco right now I would feel very comfortable," said Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at University of California, San Francisco. If the local case rate was higher, she said, the equation would change.
Still, she said, if you're vaccinated, it's okay to go on about your business and not worry too much.
"I'm vaccinated. Even if I've had exposure to Covid, I'm expected to go to work the next day," she said.  Vaccination rates are an important thing to consider when deciding whether to go to a large event. Photographer: Ethan Miller/Getty Images North America
Not every expert agrees. While the vaccines all offer excellent protection, none are 100% effective. Jessica Justman, an epidemiologist at Columbia Medical School, said so-called breakthrough cases are still a small risk.
"If you live in an area where the risk level is high, and especially if you have medical conditions that increase your risk of severe Covid, even if you are vaccinated it's better to avoid large events," she said. "If that's not possible, I suggest double masking for large indoor events and offering an elbow bump instead of a hug."
Still, the risk of contracting Covid if you are vaccinated is minimal. At the end of last month, there had been just 10,262 breakthrough cases among the 101 million vaccinated individuals in the U.S. A new report issued by the CDC on Friday found that about one quarter of the individuals with vaccine breakthrough infections as of last month were asymptomatic, 10% were hospitalized, and 2% died.
Justman said symptomatic breakthrough cases look a lot like normal Covid infections. Look for the same symptoms, in about the same period of time.
While things are certainly looking up, many Americans still have yet to be vaccinated and there are thousands of new cases of Covid every day. If you live in an area where infection rates are high, or many people are opting out of vaccination, it's important to take precautions when attending a large group gathering. Thanks to all of you for writing in this week! Next Sunday, we'll be answering the best question we receive again. So if you have any, we want to hear from you. Write to us at CovidQs@bloomberg.net—Kristen V. Brown | 
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