Finally...the CDC guidelines for those who are fully vaccinated

suzyQ3 · ‎03-09-2010

People are considered fully vaccinated:

2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

If it has been less than 2 weeks since your shot, or if you still need to get your second dose, you are NOT fully protected. Keep taking all prevention steps until you are fully vaccinated.

illustration of people receiving vaccination

When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated

How to Protect Yourself and Others

Updated Mar. 8, 2021

Print

COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick. Based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic.

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.

What’s Changed

If you’ve been fully vaccinated:

You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
- However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.

What Hasn’t Changed

For now, if you’ve been fully vaccinated:

You should still take steps to protect yourself and others in many situations, like wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. Take these precautions whenever you are:
- In public
- Gathering with unvaccinated people from more than one other household
- 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
You should still avoid medium or large-sized gatherings.
You should still delay domestic and international travel. If you do travel, you’ll still need to follow CDC requirements and recommendations.
You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.
You will still need to follow guidance at your workplace.

illustration of people enjoying a party inside

What We Know and What We’re Still Learning

We know that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19 disease, especially severe illness and death.
- We’re still learning how effective the vaccines are against variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. Early data show the vaccines may work against some variants but could be less effective against others.
We know that other prevention steps help stop the spread of COVID-19, and that these steps are still important, even as vaccines are being distributed.
- We’re still learning how well COVID-19 vaccines keep people from spreading the disease.
- Early data show that the vaccines may help keep people from spreading COVID-19, but we are learning more as more people get vaccinated.
We’re still learning how long COVID-19 vaccines can protect people.
As we know more, CDC will continue to update our recommendations for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

Until we know more about those questions, everyone — even people who’ve had their vaccines — should continue taking basic prevention steps when recommended.

~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Porcelain · ‎02-19-2014

This is so exciting! Great news!!

When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.
"Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

deepwaterdotter · ‎03-09-2010

I've become comfortable with the safety of wearing a mask and keeping a 6-foot distance from others. Things may change in the future.

rms1954 · ‎06-06-2019

@deepwaterdotter wrote:
I've become comfortable with the safety of wearing a mask and keeping a 6-foot distance from others. Things may change in the future.

Things should have never gotten this far. So now they are "separating" us.

CelticCrafter · ‎03-09-2010

What she didn't address was fully vaccinated being around people that are fully recovered from Covid.

KaySD · ‎08-16-2016

@rms1954 wrote:
@deepwaterdotter wrote:
I've become comfortable with the safety of wearing a mask and keeping a 6-foot distance from others. Things may change in the future.
Things should have never gotten this far. So now they are "separating" us.

Another way to think about it is, not about "they" and "us" but that "we all" are safer when "we all" are doing our part to help.

Meowingkitty · ‎06-19-2010

I'm just happy in a couple of weeks we can see some friends without having to wear that stupid mask. I hope the mask is the next thing to go because it will all to soon be pushing 100-115+ degrees here.

suzyQ3 · ‎03-09-2010

@CelticCrafter wrote:
What she didn't address was fully vaccinated being around people that are fully recovered from Covid.

I'm not the CDC, @CelticCrafter :-)

I don't think that they have concrete ideas yet about the length of immunity given by the virus itself. It's a question on my mind because my daughter and her family had Covid way back in March or April.

The few tidbits I've read recently all say the natural immunity is not as robust as the immunity conferred by vaccine.

Given that, we will be careful around our family when we go to dinner at their house this Friday, which, by the way, I am really looking forward.

~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

suzyQ3 · ‎03-09-2010

Although this news is easy to find today, I would like this information available for posters. If you could refrain from other issues and direct those to another thread, that would be great!

~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

rms1954 · ‎06-06-2019

@KaySD wrote:
@rms1954 wrote:
@deepwaterdotter wrote:
I've become comfortable with the safety of wearing a mask and keeping a 6-foot distance from others. Things may change in the future.
Things should have never gotten this far. So now they are "separating" us.
Another way to think about it is, not about "they" and "us" but that "we all" are safer when "we all" are doing our part to help.

I don't believe any of what they have pushed on us. I was listening to an epidemiologist and many other specialists who even report that this would have been treated like a normal flu and it would have been treated as any other flu virus we go through every year IF news media and other things I can't mention get involved.