I'm vaccinated! Now what?

We know that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick and evidence now shows that people who have been fully vaccinated can return to doing some of the things that they stopped doing last year because of the pandemic.

People are considered fully vaccinated:

• 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
• 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine 

Regardless of vaccination status, we all need to keep taking precautions in public places like wearing a mask, staying six feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces.

New CDC guidance

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.

You still need to: 

• Take steps to protect yourself 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.
• Avoid medium or large-sized gatherings.
• Delay domestic and international travel. If you do travel, you’ll still need to follow CDC requirements and recommendations. 
• Watch for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.
• Follow guidance from the state and at your place of work.

What we still don’t know

• 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.
• Early data show that the vaccines may help keep people from spreading COVID-19, but we are learning more as more people get vaccinated.
• It is still unclear how long COVID-19 vaccines can protect people.

As we learn more, recommendations and guidance will be updated for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.