What the CDC says you can do now that you're vaccinated

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

Federal health officials released guidance Monday that gives fully vaccinated Americans more freedom to socialize and pursue routine daily activities, providing a pandemic-weary nation a first glimpse of what a new normal may look like in coming months.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people who are two weeks past their final shot face little risk if they visit indoors with unvaccinated members of a single household at low risk of severe disease, without wearing masks or distancing. That would free many vaccinated grandparents who live near their unvaccinated children and grandchildren to gather for the first time in a year. The CDC also said fully vaccinated people can gather indoors with those who are also fully vaccinated. And they do not need to quarantine, or be tested after exposure to the coronavirus, if they have no symptoms.

Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development, welcomed the advice, but said it has taken too long for the CDC to tell an exhausted public when their masks can come off. “The sooner we move to telling people if you’re fully vaccinated, you don’t have to wear masks, that will be an incentive for people to get vaccinated,” Hotez said.

The five-page guidelines offer a road map of sorts to those who have made it through the rocky vaccine rollout to resuming aspects of daily life that have been on hold for more than a year. They come as the government and public health officials are racing to vaccinate people as fast as possible to outpace highly transmissible versions of the virus spreading in the United States. Coronavirus cases have plateaued at a dangerously high level.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/03/08/vaccinated-people-cdc-guidance/

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The latest guidance is sort of piecemeal but here is what they have included as released today -

COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Specific Groups
COVID-19 Vaccines for Teachers, School Staff, and Childcare Workers

Additional "most recent" info uploaded over the past couple days -

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/whats-new-all.html

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Thanks so much for this post! Bookmarking for easy reference. ♥

[4Q2u2]

2. Who's CDC?

Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development, welcomed the advice, but said it has taken too long for the CDC to tell an exhausted public when their masks can come off. “

Your Orange idiot owns 90% of it at least.

[central scrutinizer]

3. I didn't see any information about the risk

Of asymptomatic transmission from those who are fully vaccinated to others who aren’t. My understanding is that there’s not enough data. Groups of people, all of whom are fully vaccinated and waited two weeks, should be able to gather mask free. Even after I’m fully vaccinated (2nd Pfizer due in two weeks) I plan on wearing my mask in public to protect others. Until I hear otherwise. It’s not the time to burn our masks in relief and celebration.

[underpants]

4. It's in there down in the article.

People need to be weary and gauge risk of still transmitting.

[central scrutinizer]

6. I don't have a WP subscription but it's on the NYTimes now

And it says pretty much what I wrote. Continue to wear your mask in public even if fully vaccinated. I started wearing a mask in early March last year while in Japan, even though there wasn’t a single case in the prefecture where I was, as a sign of respect and concern.

[underpants]

8. CNN has basically the same info. Link.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/08/health/covid-19-vaccine-cdc-guidelines-fully-vaccinated/index.html

[BumRushDaShow]

5. On Friday, they published an item that might address some of that

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7010e3.htm?s_cid=mm7010e3_x

I haven't gone through it yet...

I sure as hell wouldn't stop doing what I'm doing even IF everyone in the world is vaccinated. It's going to take years to get this thing down to being more a nuisance virus like the flu (which itself can be deadly but not to the degree that the current COVID-19 variants have exhibited).

[TimeToGo]

18. I didn't see anything in that one about post vaccine

(maybe it's there, but I didn't see it)

[BumRushDaShow]

22. A deeper dive into the OP article notes this

The guidance outlines several ways that fully vaccinated people can return to their old routines, although it is more general than what some people might have hoped for. It doesn’t explicitly say, for instance, whether vaccinated grandparents can hug and kiss their unvaccinated grandchildren, but appears to endorse such behavior by saying vaccinated people can safely gather indoors with those in one unvaccinated household without masks or physical distancing, as long as no one is at risk of severe disease.

A growing body of evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people are less likely to spread the virus to others, the CDC says. While some prevention measures continue to be necessary, the benefits of reducing social isolation “may outweigh the residual risk of fully vaccinated people becoming ill with covid-19” or transmitting the virus to others, the guidance says.

So apparently what they have so far published is still vague.

I really think that the problem is that there is a major disconnect regarding how to balance the messaging, which is difficult when you have "nerdy" scientists vs savvy (but non-scientific) public relations people. I.e., it's become like a push-me/pull-you with respect to not making it seem that everything is really so dire that you might as well give up vs so rosy that you can now throw all caution to the wind.

[llashram]

9. I get my first Moderna

Last edited Mon Mar 8, 2021, 08:03 PM - Edit history (1)

shot 2morrow. My 2nd in a month. Even after the 2 weeks, I will wear my mask. Too many variants are popping up.

[Chellee]

16. I get my first Moderna tomorrow as well.

The only change I'll make is that after April 20th (2 weeks past my second shot) I'll cut back from wearing two masks to just one.

[Talitha]

21. "Too many variants are popping up." - - Good point, and that's the scary part.

If we need to be re-vaccinated in the future to cover the variants, so be it.

Playing whack-a-mole with this virus for the next few years wasn't in the original plan, but at least there are science-minded adults in charge now.

Got my 2nd Moderna a few hours ago, and plan on wearing a mask until Dr. Fauci himself says it's safe to take it off.

I hope you don't get any side-effects from the shots!

[CTyankee]

23. I'm a full two weeks out from my 2nd Pfizer shot. I won't stop wearing a mask when I'm out

because I won't be allowed into any store and I don't want people glaring at me. I'll still wash my hands if I've been out food shopping or anything else. It's just good hygiene.

[TxGuitar]

24. Wife and I have both been vaccinated

Pfizer. We are two weeks past our second shot. We still wear masks everywhere. Don't want anyone thinking we are Republicans.

[Escurumbele]

10. Very well said...Masks must stay.

The fact that very few people have also been exempt of getting the flu should be a signal that masks are good...Yes, take them off when you are with family and friends who are not coughing or experiencing anything flue-related, but masks are good, pandemic or no pandemic.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

20. We have to deal with the reality that there are way too many...

...pandemic deniers. If they get cajoled into being vaccinated, it will save lives.

"The sooner we move to telling people if you’re fully vaccinated, you don’t have to wear masks, that will be an incentive for people to get vaccinated,” Hotez said."

"Owning the libs" is going to get really old.

[FBaggins]

13. Give it another month or two

Early data seems to indicate that those who have been fully vaccinated are at a dramatically lower risk of infection and transmission... which is what you would expect... but that isn't a final answer yet and might vary from one vaccine to another.

[bucolic_frolic]

7. Sounds like a plan to eliminate anti-vaxxers

not that they're not asking for it.

[FoxNewsSucks]

12. Works for me.

Every time I see a story of anti-vaxxers or other republicons insisting they will not get the covid vaccine, it pisses me off. If those rural trumphumpers think that way, make that vaccine available to someone who wants it and is having trouble getting a timely appointment.

[SharonAnn]

14. We have one here in our small social group. Thinking about how to deal with her.

We think we're going to have to de-invite her from our card games. We've been masked and social distanced as much as possible the last six months. We'd like a chance to play unmasked but at our age we wouldn't feel safe around her unmasked.

[central scrutinizer]

19. It might take these small, personal nudges

To get through to these people. They’ve been conditioned for years to distrust anything not on Fox. Ostracizing them is a good idea and will leave you and your family safer.

[OMGWTF]

11. After full vaccination, I will continue to wear a mask so I'm not mistaken for a Rethuglican.

[yaesu]

17. I plan on to continue wearing a mask just to piss republicans off and support those who haven't

had their shots yet.

[Throckmorton]

27. Same here,

Plus there has been a slight up-tick in flu cases in our area of Connecticut.

[usaf-vet]

15. Good Info. Thanks for posting it.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

25. I think they should have waited to say this.

People will just say they've gotten the shots and be done with the masks.............. this isn't gonna end well.

[Ace Rothstein]

28. Those people are probably not following guidelines to begin with.

[Steelrolled]

26. About time with this

Some of this is obvious and should have been stated weeks ago. If vaccinated people cannot socialize with one another without masks and social distancing, what is the point of the vaccine? Also vaccinated people can certainly mix with low risk individuals like children (who cannot be vaccinated anyhow).

I will wear a mask in public places as long as it is required or seems prudent, but in private settings where I know the people and their vaccine status, it is back to life as normal.