Scientists offer advice on navigating daily life after Covid vaccination

"Many people hope that getting a Covid-19 vaccine will mark an immediate return to normal: no more masks, no more distancing, safe indoor dinner parties and big hugs with friends.

The reality is more complicated. For now, people who have gotten their shots must navigate decision-making in a world where the vaccinated and unvaccinated will coexist for months, even within the same household.

So what should and shouldn't you do? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidelines Monday. Fully vaccinated people can gather indoors with others who are also fully vaccinated without taking extra precautions, the CDC said. And vaccinated people may gather with one other unvaccinated family without masks and distancing as long as the unvaccinated members are healthy and aren't at risk for developing a more serious case of Covid-19. But the CDC urged fully vaccinated people to continue taking precautions in public, and in medium or large private gatherings.

"There are some activities that fully vaccinated people can begin to resume now in the privacy of their own homes," said CDC director Rochelle Walensky. "Everyone -- even those who are vaccinated -- should continue with all mitigation strategies when in public settings."

The CDC and most experts agree that until we are closer to herd immunity -- when a substantial majority of the population is protected through vaccination or natural infection so the virus can't spread easily -- mask wearing, social distancing and avoiding crowded, indoor gatherings should be standard practice in public spaces. The CDC guidelines note that evidence increasingly suggests that vaccinated people are potentially less likely to transmit the virus through asymptomatic infections, but there are also outstanding questions on the duration of the vaccines' protection and the effect of emerging variants." [1]

1. Health & Wellness -- Your Health: How to Assess Risks After Getting Vaccinated --- Scientists offer advice on navigating daily life after Covid vaccination
Reddy, Sumathi. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]09 Mar 2021: A.9.