BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Fully vaccinated people can take one step closer to returning to their normal lives, according to the CDC. The CDC's new guidance says fully vaccinated people can have a small indoor private gathering without masks.
The CDC says someone is fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the final dose of their vaccine.
This picture from the CDC breaks down when fully vaccinated people need to and don't to wear masks in small private gatherings.https://t.co/sluuPkC2NP pic.twitter.com/suIkS0P6sQ
— Gilat Melamed (@gilat_melamed) March 9, 2021
The CDC said fully vaccinated people also don't need to wear a mask when around low-risk unvaccinated people from one other household.
"For example, fully vaccinated grandparents can visit indoors with their unvaccinated healthy daughter and her healthy children without wearing masks or physical distancing, provided none of the unvaccinated family members are at risk of severe COVID-19," said the CDC's website.
According to the CDC, fully vaccinated people do need to wear a mask, and take other precautions like social distancing when:
- with high-risk unvaccinated people
- with any unvaccinated people from multiple other households.
Per CDC, fully vaccinated people should:
- wear masks in public
- avoid large crowds
- avoid travel
The CDC did not update its travel guidance.
Additionally, the CDC said vaccinated people exposed to someone with COVID-19 don't need to quarantine or get tested, unless they have symptoms.
Chief of Infectious Disease at UB's Jacobs School of Medicine Dr. Thomas Russo said vaccinated people can think of their actions like this, “You should start thinking, more in terms of not so much the risk for yourself, but the risk that you could pose to individuals within your household or social bubble that are unvaccinated."
Researchers are still looking at whether vaccinated people can spread COVID-19.
Dr. Russo said even at a gathering where everyone is vaccinated, it is still important to think about the risk of who you go home to afterwards, and what their risk is if they were to get COVID-19.
“This is like many of the things in the age of COVID, you know, people need to assess the relative benefits vs. the potential risks and then make a personal decision of what is best for them,” Russo said.
