What You Can Safely Do After You’re Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19
Fully vaccinated? Congratulations! You’ve taken an important step toward protecting yourself—and others—from COVID-19. Just over 35% of Americans are now fully vaccinated, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Reminder: You’re considered “fully vaccinated” once it’s been two weeks since your second dose in a two-dose series (like the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines), or two weeks since you received a single-dose vaccine (such as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine), according to the CDC. Once you reach that point, your body has had enough time to build up enough infection-fighting antibodies to ensure a robust immune response should you come in contact with the novel coronavirus.
But keep in mind that COVID-19 is still spreading, and the majority of Americans haven’t been vaccinated yet. That means it’s important to continue taking certain precautions. Wondering what you can do (and what you should still avoid) now that you’ve been vaccinated? Here’s everything you need to know.
You can resume nearly all activities without a face mask.
Fully vaccinated people can feel safe going without a mask in most situations, according to major CDC masking update released on May 13, except where required by local laws, businesses, and workplaces. Research shows that the approved Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are extremely effective where it matters most: They all prevent critical forms of COVID-19 that can result in hospitalization or death.
It can be hard to wrap your head around at this point in the pandemic, but health officials say that activities like indoor dining, gathering with friends and family, high-intensity indoor exercise classes, going to the movies, and attending worship services are all safe to enjoy without a mask if you have completed your immunization.
“If you’re all fully vaccinated, we think that you’re so well protected that you don’t need masks,” says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. As a result, if you’re around other fully vaccinated people, the risk is incredibly low that any of you will get sick from each other, he notes.
Fully vaccinated people must continue wearing masks on public transportation, the CDC notes, and it’s wise to consider a mask when around a crowd of strangers. This also doesn’t mean you have to stop wearing a mask if you do not want to—it’s just a possibility that’s now open to you.
No matter what, it’s critical that you keep wearing a mask where required: “It’s not just about you—it’s about the people around you,” says Henry Raymond, Ph.D., associate professor and epidemiologist at the Rutgers School of Public Health in New Jersey. It’s not 100% known whether vaccinated people can transmit COVID-19 to others who have yet to receive the vaccine, but experts believe the risk is greatly reduced.
You don’t need to quarantine if you have no symptoms after being exposed to COVID-19.
In most cases, if you have been fully vaccinated, the CDC says that you don’t need to stay away from others or get tested if you’ve been around someone with COVID-19, but you should still watch for symptoms two weeks following the exposure. If you live in a congregate setting, like a group home, the CDC still recommends staying away from others for 14 days if you have been exposed to the coronavirus.
And if you do end up feeling sick? “Any fully vaccinated person who experiences symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should isolate themselves from others, be clinically evaluated for COVID-19, and be tested for SARS-CoV-2,” the CDC states.
“At their best, these vaccines are 95% effective—that’s not 100%,” Dr. Schaffner says. “It is possible, although unlikely, that you could be exposed to COVID and develop the illness.”
It’s OK for you to travel.
“Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread SARS-CoV-2 and can now travel at low risk to themselves within the United States,” the CDC explains in its May 13 guidelines. However, safety measures apply to all travelers, meaning you’ll still have to wear a mask on any mode of transportation.
“If you’re fully vaccinated, travel poses a risk—but that risk is very low,” Dr. Russo agrees. His biggest concern is the possibility of picking up a coronavirus variant, like P.1 (which first emerged in Brazil) or B.1.351 (which first emerged in South Africa), since there’s less data on the vaccines’ effectiveness against these variants. Still, he says, “it seems like you could at least do domestic travel safely.”
If you are traveling internationally, you no longer need to get tested for COVID-19 before leaving the U.S., unless a negative test is required by your destination. You also don’t need to quarantine after coming back to the U.S., unless you were knowingly exposed to someone with COVID-19 and have symptoms yourself.
Overall, you can do a lot once you’re fully vaccinated. In some ways, notes Dr. Adalja, “you’re getting your life back.”
This article is accurate as of press time. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly evolves and the scientific community’s understanding of the novel coronavirus develops, some of the information may have changed since it was last updated. While we aim to keep all of our stories up to date, please visit online resources provided by the CDC, WHO, and your local public health department to stay informed on the latest news. Always talk to your doctor for professional medical advice.
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