The CDC has released information on how things have and have not changed for those who have been vaccinated. First and foremost, to be considered fully vaccinated you must have either:
- Received both doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna Vaccine, or
- Received one dose of a single dose vaccine, like the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
After this has happened, at least two weeks must have passed since receiving your vaccination otherwise you are still not fully vaccinated and should still continue the standard precautions (masking, avoiding large congregations of people and social distancing most specifically).
If you have been fully vaccinated you can now gather indoors with other fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask, you can gather indoors with unvaccinated people without masks from one other household as long as there is not a high-risk person living with them, and if you have been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to quarantine from others or get tested unless you have symptoms. However, it is recommended that if you live in a group setting (such as a correctional facility or group home), you should still quarantine and get tested, even without showing symptoms.
What hasn’t changed due to being fully vaccinated include: continuing to take the precautionary steps to protect yourself and others; this means wearing a mask, social distancing, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces—especially when you are in public, gathering with unvaccinated people from more than one household, or if you are visiting or living with someone who is high risk. The CDC also recommends that you still avoid medium and large gatherings, delay both domestic and international travel, comply with COVID precautions at your workplace and you should still watch for symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested if you see symptoms.
With all these subtle changes, it is important to note that scientists are still learning how effective the vaccines are against the virus and data can change continuously. We know that the vaccines help prevent the spread but how much it prevents and for how long is still unknown. Because of this, even if you are still vaccinated taking the necessary precautions protects both yourself and others.
Until more information is collected, there will be continuous updates provided by the CDC on recommendations for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
