CDC issues new guidelines for the vaccinated

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidelines March 8 for those who have been fully vaccinated. While this group can more safely visit with one another, basic precautions should continue to be practiced in public.

People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their second dose of any two-step vaccine, such as those by Pfizer and Moderna; for a single-dose vaccine, such as the one developed by Johnson & Johnson, it’s 14 days after that dose.

According to cdc.gov, “We’re still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19. After you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions in public places like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces until we know more.”

But those who have been fully vaccinated can safely gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask. They can also feel confident gathering indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who live together) without masks. However, this does not apply if any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

If a fully vaccinated person has been around someone who has COVID-19, they do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless they have symptoms of the virus.

“We’re still learning how effective the vaccines are against variants of the virus that causes COVID-19,” according to the CDC. “Early data show the vaccines may work against some variants but could be less effective against others.”

The health protection agency recommends that even those who have been fully vaccinated should continue to protect themselves and others by wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces when in public. This also applies when gathering with unvaccinated people from more than one other household, as well as visiting with an unvaccinated person who is at increased risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 or who lives with a person at increased risk.

Medium- or large-sized gatherings should continue to be avoided, and domestic and international travel should be delayed for the time being.

“We’re still learning how long COVID-19 vaccines can protect people,” the CDC said. “Until we know more . . . everyone—even people who’ve had their vaccines—should continue taking basic prevention steps when recommended.”