Now that more than 167 million Americans have received one COVID-19 vaccination and more than 63 million are now fully vaccinated, what exactly does that mean?
After a slow kickoff in December, vaccine administration has steadily improved, and by early March, the United States had started administering more than two million shots per day.
Researchers have estimated that around 70 percent to 85 percent of the country needs to be immune to the coronavirus for COVID-19 to stop spreading through communities and peter out. So for those who are fully vaccinated or soon will be, what can they do now that they couldn’t do before, and what should they continue not to do?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had ceased doing because of the pandemic.
In the meantime, according to the CDC, those who are fully vaccinated may now gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask or staying six feet apart. They may gather indoors with unvaccinated people of any age from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks or staying six feet apart, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
While some, but not all states and municipalities have lifted mask requirements, many businesses still require mask wearing. Also, health care professionals still encourage mask wearing when in public.
The CDC also states that if you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel, and you need to pay close attention to the situation at your international destination before traveling outside the United States. You should still get tested 3-5 days after international travel and you do not need to self-quarantine after arriving in the United States.
Additional important guidelines from the CDC state that we should still take steps to protect ourselves and others in many situations, like wearing a mask, staying at least six feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. Take these precautions whenever you are in public, gathering with unvaccinated people from more than one other household, visiting with an unvaccinated person who is at increased risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 or who lives with a person at increased risk, and for the time being we should all avoid medium or large-sized gatherings.
If you travel, you should still take steps to protect yourself and others. You will still be required to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States, and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations.
In the meantime, the CDC states that they’re still learning how effective the vaccines are against variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. Early data show the vaccines may work against some variants but could be less effective against others.
People who believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19 should contact their health care provider immediately. If you are ill with flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath, please call your health center or clinic before coming to your appointment. If you are an Eskenazi Health patient, please call 317-880-7666 before coming to your appointment. Health care professionals are available 24/7 to answer questions on symptoms and direct you to the most appropriate care. It is important to first call before arriving at Eskenazi Health.
Nydia Nunez-Estrada, M.D.
Family Medicine Specialist at Eskenazi Health Center North Arlington