LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Have you been fully vaccinated against COVID-19?
There’s new hope on the horizon as more people get vaccinated for COVID-19.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines on Monday for fully vaccinated people where they can visit other fully vaccinated people in small groups indoors without masks or social distancing.
Dr. Christina Madison with Roseman University says it’s a huge development in this stage of the pandemic.
"Super exciting news. It’s so hopeful. There’s light at the end of the tunnel.”
The agency also says fully vaccinated people can visit with non-vaccinated people from a single-family without masks or social distancing if those they're meeting aren’t at high risk of getting the virus. This means vaccinated grandparents can go see their grandkids.
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“My elderly patients which I’ve been vaccinating this weekend, and at their second dose I was telling them 14 days and then you can see the grandkids,” she said.
Dr. Madison says someone is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after getting their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after getting the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. For John Behrans of Las Vegas, he got his first shot but will still take precautions.
“My wife and I, we play the rules. We mask and we do the six feet,” he said.
The CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people still mask up in public because of the low chance they could still transmit the virus to other unvaccinated people. The agency saying it’s making these recommendations based on the latest science.
“It’s important to note that this is an initial guidance. The science of COVID-19 is complex and our understanding of the virus continues to evolve,” CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky said.
The CDC also says fully vaccinated people don’t need to quarantine if they’ve been exposed to the virus…as long as they aren’t showing any symptoms. Full DCD guidelines for fully vaccinated people can be found here.
