CDC revises recommendations for the vaccinated

by Patty Marsters

pattym@lwsb.com

On April 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated guiding principles for fully vaccinated people. Someone who is considered fully vaccinated is at least two weeks past receiving the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks past receiving the single-dose Johnson and Johnson/Janssen vaccine.

Among the new recommendations is that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask outdoors, except in certain crowded settings and venues. They can continue to visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing, as well as visit with unvaccinated people (including children) from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 indoors without those same precautions.

However, fully vaccinated people should still take precautions while in indoor public settings such as grocery stores or restaurants. In these situations, they should wear well-fitted masks made with at least three layers. This is also true when visiting indoors with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at risk for severe COVID-19 disease, as well as when visiting indoors with unvaccinated people from multiple households. In general, the CDC continues to advise people to avoid any indoor, large, in-person gatherings.

Immunocompromised people, even those who are fully vaccinated, should consult their health care providers before implementing the new recommendations into their routines.

For additional guidelines, visit www.cdc.gov.