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That doesn’t mean they should stop taking precautions, the CDC noted in updated guidance. It is simply not necessary for them to quarantine themselves.
“Fully vaccinated people who meet the criteria will no longer be required to quarantine after exposure to someone with COVID-19,” the CDC said in updates to its webpage with vaccination advice.
“People vaccinated with exposure to a person suspected or confirmed of COVID-19 are not required to quarantine if they meet all of the following criteria,” the CDC added.
The criteria: They must be fully vaccinated – after having had both vaccines with at least two weeks after the second shot. This is because it takes two weeks to build full immunity after the second dose of the vaccine.
But the CDC says it’s unclear how long the protection lasts, so people who had their last injection three months or more ago should still self-quarantine if exposed. They should also quarantine if they show any symptoms, the CDC said.
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“This recommendation to forgo quarantine for people immune to vaccines is consistent with quarantine recommendations for people with natural immunity, which makes it easier to implement,” the CDC said. The agency will update the guidelines as more is learned.
People who have been vaccinated should still watch for symptoms for 14 days after being exposed to an infected person, the CDC said.
And everyone, vaccinated or not, should follow all other precautions to prevent the spread of the virus, the CDC said. This is not the least, as it is possible that even people who have been vaccinated could harbor the virus in their nose and throat and pass it on to others.
“At this time, people who have been vaccinated should continue to follow current guidelines for protecting themselves and others, including wearing a mask, staying at least six feet from others, avoiding crowds, avoiding poorly ventilated spaces, covering coughs and sneezes, washing your hands often, following CDC travel advice, and following applicable workplace or school guidelines, including relative guidelines using personal protective equipment or testing for SARS-CoV-2, ”the agency said.
Vaccines prevent symptomatic illnesses, but they have not yet been shown to prevent asymptomatic illnesses, the CDC noted. While people without symptoms can spread the coronavirus, the CDC said, “symptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission is thought to play a greater role in transmission than purely asymptomatic transmission.”
Plus, the benefits of not forcing people to lock up unnecessarily for two weeks may outweigh the risks of transmission in these cases, the CDC said.
“These criteria could also be applied when considering work restrictions for fully immunized health workers with high-risk exposures, as a strategy to alleviate staff shortages. It should be noted that health workers exposed would not be required to quarantine outside of work, the CDC said.
“As an exception to the above guidelines no longer requiring quarantine for fully vaccinated individuals, vaccinated hospitalized patients and residents in healthcare facilities should continue to be quarantined after exposure to a person suspected or confirmed of COVID-19; Precaution-based, ”the CDC added.
This is because the effectiveness of the vaccine is unclear in people who are hospitalized.
“While not preferred, healthcare facilities might consider waiving quarantine for vaccinated patients and residents as a strategy to mitigate critical issues (for example, lack of space, staff, or PPE to safely care for exposed patients or residents) when other options fail or are not available. These decisions could be made in consultation with public health officials and infection control experts. “
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