CDC updates guidelines on what’s safe after COVID vaccination
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released updated guidelines on activities for those who are fully vaccinated as opposed to those who have yet to receive the COVID vaccine.
Guiding principles for fully vaccinated people:
Outdoor visits and activities pose minimal risk to fully vaccinated people themselves or to those around them.
Small, private gatherings and visits to public indoor spaces likely represent minimal risk to fully vaccinated people. Therefore, the level of precautions taken should be determined by the characteristics of the unvaccinated people present, who remain unprotected against COVID-19.
Although the risk of COVID-19 infection may be minimal to the fully vaccinated person themselves, vaccinated persons should be mindful of the very low potential risk of transmitting the virus to others if they become infected, especially if they are visiting with unvaccinated people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 or visiting with unvaccinated people who have people at increased risk for severe disease in their own households.
In indoor public spaces, the vaccination status of other people or whether they are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 is likely unknown. Therefore, fully vaccinated people should continue to wear a well-fitted mask, cover coughs and sneezes, wash hands often, and following any applicable workplace or school guidance.
Fully vaccinated people should not visit or attend a gathering or visit public settings if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the prior 10 days or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, regardless of vaccination status of the other people at the gathering.
Fully vaccinated people should continue to follow any applicable state, local, tribal or territorial laws, rules, and regulations.
Although the risk of COVID-19 infection among fully vaccinated people is likely low, the following could increase risk:
A moderate, substantial, or high level of community transmission
Settings with a higher percentage of unvaccinated people (including children) present or people at risk of severe COVID-19 disease
Visits to indoor settings especially with poor ventilation
The length of the visit, especially if indoors
Crowding or when there is a decreased ability to maintain physical distance
Activities that involve behaviors such as singing, shouting, physical exertion or heavy breathing, inability to wear a mask, or inability to maintain physical distancing
Read the full list of recommendations here.
CDC will continue to evaluate and update public health recommendations for vaccinated people as more information, including on new variants, becomes available. Further information on evidence and considerations related to these recommendations is available in the Science Brief.
Source: CDC