Gatherings of vaccinated people safe, CDC states

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a new guide with regulations for individuals that are fully vaccinated. The biggest takeaway from the update is that those who are fully vaccinated can now visit with others that are fully vaccinated without wearing masks or social distancing. In some instances, others that are fully vaccinated are able to visit those that are not fully vaccinated, but there are safety protocols that should still be followed.

An individual is not considered to be fully vaccinated until they hit the two week mark after their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or two weeks after a single dose of Johnson & Johnson. The CDC says that those who are past the two week mark may meet with others who are also past their two week mark indoors without masks on. The CDC also stated that those who are considered fully vaccinated are allowed to safely visit with unvaccinated people from a single household indoors without masks or physical distancing, if the unvaccinated people are at low risk. Another update from the CDC was that individuals who are fully vaccinated can skip quarantine periods and COVID-19 testing if they are exposed to someone who has COVID-19, but should still monitor for symptoms for 14 days.

The CDC stated that people should still avoid travel, and included a list of precautions that fully vaccinated people should still be following. The list includes wearing a mask and keeping some physical distance between those who are unvaccinated and those who are at an increased risk for severe complications. Also, fully vaccinated people should wear masks and physically distance when visiting those who are unvaccinated and from multiple or different households. More recommendations for fully vaccinated individuals from the CDC include wearing a well-fitting mask and social distancing in public, avoiding medium- and large-sized crowds, avoiding poorly ventilated public spaces, washing your hands frequently, as well as getting yourself tested if you feel sick.

Jen Christensen writing for CNN explained “there is growing evidence that people who are vaccinated don’t spread COVID-19, but scientists are still trying to understand how long vaccine protection lasts.” This means that even if someone is vaccinated, they should still be following the CDC guidelines, wearing a mask when needed and socially distancing when necessary. Even if someone is fully vaccinated, they should refrain from travel until the CDC has more information regarding transmission and protection regarding the vaccine.

The number of vaccinated individuals continues to rise and the more people that get vaccinated, the more revisions the CDC will potentially release. TU has recently been given approval to administer vaccinations through the Alexander Health Center for students and employees. More information about this can be found at https://utulsa.edu/coronavirus/. To schedule an appointment for a vaccine anywhere in Oklahoma, visit the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s website at https://vaccinate.oklahoma.gov/en-US/currentlyopenappointmentsbylocation/.

Post Author: Maggy Crawford