Pharmacist Madeline Acquilano vaccinates on March 3, 2021 at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, the information officer Victor Rodriguez with the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut.
Joseph Prezioso | AFP | Getty Images
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday issued new guidelines for people who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, a much-anticipated move as the country tries to return to normal after nearly a year of restrictions due to the pandemic.
“There are some activities that people who have been fully vaccinated can now begin to resume in the privacy of their own homes. Everyone – even those who are vaccinated – should continue with all mitigation strategies in public institutions,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC director, said. a statement.
According to the guidelines, people who have been fully vaccinated can safely indoors with other people who have been fully vaccinated and some who have not been vaccinated without wearing masks or social distance, according to the guidance. Someone is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after a single ingestion of Johnson & Johnson’s newly authorized vaccine, or two weeks after their second ingestion of the two doses of Moderna or Pfizer.
About 58.9 million people in the U.S. received at least one shot, with 30.7 million of the people receiving two doses, just over 9% of the country’s population, according to the CDC, which does not have the vaccine people receive, do not set out.
People who are fully vaccinated can also visit with inexperienced people from one household without wearing masks or social distances, as long as they have a low risk of serious diseases, the CDC says.
“Grandparents who are fully vaccinated can, for example, visit indoors with their non-vaccinated healthy daughter and her healthy children without wearing masks or physical distance, provided none of the non-vaccinated family members are at risk of severe COVID. -19, “according to CDC’s guidance.
People who have been fully vaccinated do not have to quarantine Covid-19 if they are exposed to someone with the virus, as long as they do not show symptoms, the agency advises. However, if a vaccinated person begins to show symptoms, they should isolate themselves and be tested for Covid-19.
There are still a number of activities that people who have not been vaccinated can not do yet, warns the CDC. Vaccinated Americans should still avoid medium and bulk personal gatherings, and they should also continue to wear face masks and take social distances when in public.
If a vaccinated person visits someone who is at risk for serious illnesses and has not been vaccinated, they should still wear a mask, keep a distance of 6 feet and try to go outdoors, the agency says.
Although increasing evidence suggests that people vaccinated against Covid-19 are less likely to transmit the disease to others, it is still not known how long someone’s protection can last, or the effectiveness of the shots against emerging Covid-19 variants, CDC said in a statement.
“While the new guidance is a positive step, many more people need to be fully vaccinated before everyone can stop taking most COVID-19 precautions,” the CDC said. “It is important that, until then, everyone continues to adhere to important mitigation measures to protect the large number of people who have not yet been vaccinated.”
The CDC will continue to issue vaccines for more Americans because more Americans are being shot, Walensky told a White House news conference.
U.S. health officials have been warning for weeks that highly contagious variants of the virus, specifically the strain first identified in the UK, known as B.1.1.7, could derail the country’s progress and exacerbate the pandemic. Despite these warnings, a handful of state leaders have reopened their economies and eliminated mask mandates.
“Today’s action is an important first step; it is not our final destination,” Walensky said. “As more people are vaccinated, the levels of Covid-19 infection in communities decrease, and as our understanding of Covid immunity improves, we look forward to updating these recommendations to the public.”