You Got the COVID-19 Vaccine – Now What?
Something special is starting to happen these days – we’re seeing older people with their grandchildren again! These and other activities people may once have taken for granted now strike us as a poignant reminder of what we’ve all been going through with the pandemic.
As of early April, more than 75% of people aged 65 and older in the U.S. had received their first COVID-19 vaccination. Over 57% were fully vaccinated.
With restrictions starting to loosen and the weather getting warmer, people want to get out, do things, and see people. However, health officials continue to urge caution. Many people have not yet been vaccinated, and there are still some unknowns about the vaccines – like how long they protect people, or what effect COVID variants will have.
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says even people who are fully vaccinated should keep taking certain precautions. Here’s the guidance from the CDC as of this month.
Are you fully vaccinated?
People are considered fully vaccinated:
- Two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
- Two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.
If you don’t meet these requirements, you are not fully vaccinated. You should keep taking all the recommended precautions until you are fully vaccinated.
People who are fully vaccinated can:
- Visit inside a home or private setting without a mask with other fully vaccinated people of any age.
- Visit inside a home or private setting without a mask with one household of unvaccinated people who are not at risk for severe illness.
- Travel domestically without a pre- or post-travel test and without quarantining after travel.
- Travel internationally according to these recommendations.
What you should keep doing
For now, if you’ve been fully vaccinated:
- You should wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet apart from others, and avoid 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.
- You will still need to follow on-site rules when you visit older loved ones in group home settings, day centers, or hospitals.
- 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 U.S., and in airports and stations.
- You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19. If you have symptoms, get tested and stay home and away from others.
Our safety precautions
All of us at LifeCare Advocates are fully vaccinated, and we continue to follow all safely guidelines and utilize appropriate PPE and precautions based on each specific setting.