So You’re Vaccinated. What Can You Actually Do Now?
Lena Sun of the Washington Post says we’re cautiously inching toward a new normal as more Americans receive vaccines.
It’s been one year since COVID-19 cases were reported in Michigan, and now more than 2,600,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the state. The question many vaccinated Michiganders now have is: “When can I start doing things again?” New CDC guidelines highlight what actions are safe to conduct after receiving both doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, including being able to privately gather unmasked with other fully vaccinated people and visit low-risk unvaccinated people from a single household.
“If you are vaccinated, you are much more protected in situations when sharing air with other people whose vaccination status is unknown.” –Lena Sun, The Washington Post
While these are hopeful changes, there’s still plenty we don’t know on when it will be safe to gather in public again. The CDC emphasizes caution in environments with unvaccinated Americans, especially those who remain at high risk of COVID-19.
Listen: The Washington Post’s Lena Sun on the CDC’s guidelines for fully dosed Americans.
Guest:
Lena Sun is a national reporter for the Washington Post covering health. She says the new CDC guidelines for vaccinated Americans “offer baby steps toward something that looks like a normal life … once you are fully vaccinated two weeks after your final shot, you can gather with other fully vaccinated people indoors … without masks or social distancing.” Even with this good news, Sun says Americans aren’t returning to normalcy anytime soon. “For herd immunity, there’s no one single number but experts estimate 75-80% (vaccinated) … We are about 9.7% according to the latest CDC figures,” she says.
Sun says fully vaccinated Americans should still continue to be cautious in public spaces and around high-risk individuals. “What this guidance does not do is answer specific questions … because there’s no one size fits all.” Still, Sun says it’s now safer to conduct everyday life with more vaccinated people. “If you are vaccinated, you are much more protected in situations when sharing air with other people whose vaccination status is unknown,” she says.
Web story written by Nora Rhein.
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