Are you completely vaccinated? Congratulations! You have taken an important step to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
Reminder: You are considered “fully vaccinated” once two weeks have passed since the second dose in a two-dose series (such as Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines) or two weeks since you received a single dose (such as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Once you get to this point, your body has had enough time to build up enough antibodies against the infection to ensure a solid immune response in case you come in contact with the new coronavirus.
But before you think about organizing a party, keep in mind that COVID-19 is still spreading and that most Americans have not yet been vaccinated. This means that it is important to continue to take precautions, especially in public.
Wondering what you can do (and what you should still avoid) now that you’ve been vaccinated? Here’s everything you need to know.
You don’t need to wear a mask around other people who are completely vaccinated.
This is true whether you are indoors or outdoors, according to the CDC. It can be hard to avoid after a year wearing a mask, but experts say it’s okay to do so. “If you’re completely vaccinated, we think you’re so well protected that you don’t need masks,” says William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Just to summarize, research shows that every vaccine authorized in the United States (by Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson) is extremely effective where it matters most: they all prevent critical forms of COVID-19 that can lead to hospitalization or death.
Vaccines “are not perfect, but they are highly effective in preventing symptomatic disease,” says Thomas Russo, MD, professor and head of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo. As a result, if you’re on the side of other people who are completely vaccinated, the risk is incredibly low that either of you will get sick of each other, he points out.
You don’t need to wear a mask around small groups of unvaccinated, low-risk people, but you do do you still have to bring one in public.
According to the CDC, you can meet indoors (without masking) with people without vaccines a other households (such as visiting relatives living in the same house). But there is one important caveat: it is important to make sure that none of the unvaccinated people are at high risk for serious COVID-19 disease. i who do not live with people at high risk, such as an older adult or a person who has an underlying health status.
“When completely vaccinated, there is very little risk that it can be a transmitter of this virus,” says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a senior academic at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. That said, as it is not confirmed that the risk of transmitting the virus after vaccination is zero, it should only be unmasked around low-risk people until public health experts have enough data to say otherwise, points out.
That’s why the CDC recommends that you continue to wear a mask in public settings (since you can’t know for sure if each person is at high or low risk), when you’re meeting with unvaccinated people from more than one household, and when you’re visit with a person without vaccines and high risk. You should also avoid large meetings.
“Part of it has to do with the fact that the vaccines aren’t perfect,” Dr. Schaffner says. “When you go out in public, there’s still a small chance of getting infected,” especially as new highly contagious variants continue to spread.
Remember, “It’s not just about you, it’s about the people around you,” says Henry Raymond, Ph.D., associate professor and epidemiologist at Rutgers School of Public Health in New Jersey. “Even if you are completely vaccinated, there is still little chance that you can transmit the virus to other people.”
You do not need to quarantine automatically after being exposed to COVID-19.
In most cases, if you have been completely vaccinated, the CDC states that you do not need to stay away from other people or be tested if you have been with someone with COVID-19. There are warnings, though. If you live in a crowded setting, such as a group home, the CDC recommends that you stay away from the other 14 days if you have been exposed to the coronavirus.
“At their best, these vaccines are 95% effective, not 100%,” says Dr. Schaffner. “It is possible, though unlikely, that you may be exposed to COVID and develop the disease.” If you develop symptoms of COVID-19, you should still be quarantined and tested for the virus, even if you are vaccinated.
It’s probably okay for you to travel if necessary.
The CDC currently recommends that fully vaccinated people “delay national and international travel,” but many infectious disease experts believe these guidelines are quite strict. “The CDC is being cautious,” Dr. Adalja says. “It simply came to our notice then. I think if you are completely vaccinated, you can go ahead and travel, “as long as you follow the guidelines mentioned above.
Dr. Russo agrees. “If you are completely vaccinated, travel poses a risk, but that risk is very low,” he says. His biggest concern is the possibility of picking up a variant of the coronavirus, such as P.1 (which first emerged in Brazil) or B.1.351 (which first emerged in South Africa), as there are less data on the efficacy of vaccines against these variants. Still, he says, “it looks like you could at least make national trips safely.”
Dr. Adalja says he “fully expects” that travel guidelines will change for people who are fully vaccinated over time, especially because more people in general are vaccinated.
In general, you can do many things once you are completely vaccinated. Somehow, Dr. Adalja points out, “you’ll get your life back.”
This article is accurate from the time of the press. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves rapidly and the scientific community’s understanding of the new coronavirus develops, it is possible that some of the information has changed since its last update. While we want to keep all of our stories up to date, visit the online resources provided by CDC, WHO, and yours local public health department to be informed of the latest news. Always talk to your doctor for professional medical advice.
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