New CDC guidance for those fully vaccinated against COVID-19

On Monday, March 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance for fully vaccinated people.

The CDC considers people fully vaccinated for COVID-19:

• At least two weeks after they have received the second dose in a 2-dose vaccine series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or
• At least two weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson/Janssen). 

“This new guidance is a step toward some type of new normal for us. It doesn’t however remove the need for masking and social distancing in the public setting,” says Kim Blanton, UK HealthCare enterprise director for Infection Prevention & Control. “It is also not guidance for healthcare settings. The goal with this is to allow vaccinated individuals to have small gatherings with other vaccinated people or those who are low risk for the virus.”

The following CDC recommendations apply to non-healthcare settings. Visit the CDC website for the most up-to-date guidance and recommendations. 

Fully vaccinated people can:

• Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
• Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
• Refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if asymptomatic

For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:

• Take precautions in public like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing
• Wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease
• Wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households
• Avoid medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings
• Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
• Follow guidance issued by individual employers
• Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html