Our Parish Nurse, Ann Yeo, knows that more and more of us have now been vaccinated against COVID-19. She knows, and shares, the sense of relief and the eagerness to resume at least some aspects of our normal lives.
On April 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their previous guidance for “When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated.” (People are considered fully vaccinated by 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as Pfizer or Moderna; or by 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson.)
Here are the key points of the new guidance for fully vaccinated people, who may now:
- Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing.
- Visit indoors – without wearing masks or physical distancing – with unvaccinated people from a single household IF all are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease. (Reminder: Those at high risk include pregnant women, smokers, the elderly, and those with cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic pulmonary disease, Down syndrome, heart disease, a weakened immune system, obesity, sickle cell disease, and diabetes.)
- Refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure IF you have no symptoms.
- Resume domestic travel, and refrain from testing before or after travel, or self-quarantine after travel. (If going to Hawaii, check with your destination to be sure!)
- Refrain from testing before leaving the United States for international travel (UNLESS required by the destination), and refrain from self-quarantine after arriving back in the United States.
For now, however, fully vaccinated people should continue to:
- Take precautions in public like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing.
- Wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease.
- Wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households.
- Avoid medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings. · Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
- Follow guidance issued by individual employers.
- Continue to listen for further updates.
If you have questions about how to interpret the new CDC guidance, Ann will be glad to help you analyze your situation.
-Ann Yeo, RN, MSN, Certified Holistic Nurse
