The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued long-awaited guidance on what fully vaccinated people can safely do, and with it, an opening: There’s more opportunity to see our loved ones again.
White House Senior Adviser for Covid Response Andy Slavitt told CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta we should expect to see more guidance on how to return to normal as we see the rate of vaccination increase.
“The rate at which new guidance will develop is directly related to how quickly we vaccinate the country,” Slavitt told Gupta. “This is the key point. At 10% vaccinations we have this guidance. At 20-30%, we will have new guidance.
So what can we really do? We discuss the major takeaways with CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. Here’s her advice.
CNN: When is someone considered to be fully vaccinated?
Dr. Leana Wen: A person is fully vaccinated at least two weeks after the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two weeks after a second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
CNN: What’s the CDC’s guidance for fully vaccinated people getting together?
Wen: The CDC says that people who are fully vaccinated can see one another, indoors, without masks or social distancing. This will come as a huge relief to many people. Those who live alone and have been isolated for many months can be with one another after vaccination. Couples who are vaccinated can see other fully vaccinated couples for dinner inside their private residences.
