What the CDC Says You Can Do When You’re Fully Vaccinated

March 9, 2021

About one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, and with three vaccines approved against the virus, the CDC has issued guidance on what people can safely do once they have been fully vaccinated. (You are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after your second dose of a two-dose vaccine, or two weeks after you receive a single-dose vaccine.)¹

If you’ve been fully vaccinated:

• • You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
  • You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
  • If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
    • However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.”¹

The CDC urges those who have been fully vaccinated to continue wearing masks and staying six feet apart from others in public, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. See the full CDC article for details on all of its recommendations. The CDC will continue updating its guidance as more becomes known about COVID-19 variants, how well the vaccines reduce transmission of the virus, and other factors.

All three vaccines – the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines, and the Johnson & Johnson viral vector vaccine – have been proven very effective at preventing COVID-19 infection, especially serious illness and hospitalization. They are also safe for those living with spondyloarthritis (SpA), according to medical experts (watch our in-depth Facebook Live program on vaccines and SpA here).²

1. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html
2. https://spondylitis.org/lifecafe/saa-facebook-live-covid-19-vaccines-spondyloarthritis-update/

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