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What Fully Vaccinated Means

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued interim public health recommendations for fully vaccinated people in non-healthcare settings.

As noted in their recommendations, fully vaccinated people can:

  • Visit with small groups of other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing in private settings
  • Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing in private settings
  • Refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if asymptomatic

Precautions are still needed

While we are anxious to return to “normal” as soon as possible, it’s not time to let down our guard. For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:

  • Take precautions in all public spaces like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing
  • Wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease
  • Wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households
  • Avoid medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings
  • Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
  • Follow guidance issued by individual employers
  • Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations

Have you been fully vaccinated?

According to the CDC, people are considered fully vaccinated:

  • 2 weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
  • 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

If it has been less than two weeks since your shot, or if you still need to get your second dose, you are not fully protected. Keep taking all prevention steps until you are fully vaccinated. Remember that even being fully vaccinated is not 100 percent protection against COVID-19 infection, but it does afford you a high level of protection against becoming severely ill, should you get COVID-19. It will still be a little while until vaccines are widely available and many have not yet had their turn at being eligible, including children. Please continue to respect those around us who remain unvaccinated by following all recommended precautions.

For additional details regarding the CDC recommendations, please go to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html.

Thank you for your ongoing efforts to maintain a safe environment for Boca Grande.

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