COVID-19 Guidelines for Fully Vaccinated People

The CDC has released its first set of recommendations for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Let’s review what you can and can’t do once you’re fully vaccinated.

What counts as fully vaccinated?

People are considered fully vaccinated at least 2 weeks after they receive all doses of their COVID-19 vaccine. That means:

• 2 weeks after their second Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shot, OR
• 2 weeks after their single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine

What can I do once I’m fully vaccinated?

The COVID-19 vaccine greatly lowers your risk of getting COVID-19. Because of this increased protection, fully vaccinated people can:

• Visit other fully vaccinated people indoors without masks or physical distancing
• Visit a single household of unvaccinated people who are low risk for severe COVID-19 indoors without masks or physical distancing
• Refrain from quarantine and testing after COVID-19 exposure if they don’t show symptoms

What precautions should I continue to follow once vaccinated?

Even though the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, it’s still possible to get the virus once vaccinated. It’s also not currently known if vaccinated people can spread COVID-19 to others. To protect yourself and others, it’s recommended to still follow these precautions once you’re vaccinated:

• Wear well-fitted masks and keep a distance of 6 feet from others when:
  • In public
  • With unvaccinated people from more than one household
  • With unvaccinated people who are at higher risk of severe COVID-19
• Avoid crowds and medium to large gatherings
• If you experience COVID-19 symptoms, stay home, get tested, and quarantine if necessary
• Avoid travel and follow all local and federal guidelines if travel is necessary
• Follow guidelines at your work

By getting vaccinated, you can start to socialize more and worry less about getting sick. But it will be months before everyone is vaccinated, and the virus is still spreading in our communities. To save lives and end this pandemic for good, we all must continue basic COVID-19 prevention methods.

References:

CDC. When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated

CDC. Travel During COVID-19