VAXXED: The New Norm? CDC Guidelines…

Editor’s Note:

I got my 2nd dose of the COVID Vaccine the other day. I don’t recommend any particular vaccine over the other, but I will say that I didn’t suffer some of the reported side effects from the 2nd dose. Didn’t feel a thing to be honest. No fatigue or flu-like symptoms.

As I do so often, I find my self forwarding so many documents for credentialing at different clinical sites- and it made me realize that perhaps, for healthcare workers, the option to “OPT OUT” may be taken out of our hands by the same people that want to see annual TB results, Flu shots and of course your MMR in order for you to get on staff.

It’s food for thought, especially in regards to this highly politized and polarizing topic. To choose or not to choose has now indeed become integral to our society, and in our particular case- may have already been decided for us.

The Latest CDC Recommendations for Vaccinated People: 3 March 2021

The CDC defines people who are fully vaccinated as those who are two weeks past their second dose of the Moderna and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines or two weeks past a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. 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.

“The level of precautions taken should be determined by the characteristics of the unvaccinated people, who remain unprotected against Covid-19,” the guidelines said.

The new CDC guidance says fully vaccinated people can:

• Visit other vaccinated people indoors without masks or physical distancing
• Visit indoors with unvaccinated people from a single household without masks or physical distancing, if the unvaccinated people are at low risk for severe disease.

• Skip quarantine and testing if exposed to someone who has Covid-19 but are asymptomatic, but should monitor for symptoms for 14 days

This means that vaccinated grandparents may finally feel comfortable visiting their unvaccinated grandchildren and giving them a big hug, especially if they’re local — the CDC still says people should avoid travel — and as long as none of the unvaccinated people in that household are at risk for severe Covid-19.

And if you and a friend are both vaccinated, you can finally have dinner together.

However, people who are fully vaccinated still need to take precautions in many scenarios. The guidelines say fully vaccinated people must:

• Wear a mask and keep good physical distance around the unvaccinated who are at increased risk for severe Covid-19, or if the unvaccinated person has a household member who is at higher risk
• Wear masks and physically distance when visiting unvaccinated people who are from multiple households.

In addition, fully vaccinated people should continue basic safety precautions, including: wearing a mask that fits well and keeping physical distance in public; avoiding medium- and large-sized crowds; avoiding poorly ventilated public spaces; washing hands frequently; and getting tested for Covid-19 if they feel sick.

So, the vaccinated can’t yet throw a big end-of-the-pandemic party or hang out over cocktails at a crowded bar.

Keep wearing that mask at the grocery store and if your neighborhood holds an in-person meeting, don’t go hugging those you haven’t seen in a while.