Thread by @DearPandemic

1/ It’s Good News Tues!

Yesterday, the United States @CDCgov issued new guidelines stating that 👏🏼 fully 👏🏼vaccinated 👏🏼 people can safely:

1️⃣ Visit other #vaccinated people indoors--without wearing masks or physically distancing! 😷

2/ 2️⃣ Visit unvaccinated people--without wearing masks or physical distancing, as long as the unvaccinated people (& the people they live with) are low risk for severe #COVID!

bit.ly/3qymfgT

3/ 3️⃣ Skip #quarantine & testing if they are exposed to someone who has #COVID19! But, do monitor for symptoms for 14 days, get tested, & start quarantining if symptoms develop. Remember, symptoms can be all over the map, & might be quite mild (especially after vaccination).

4/ Isn’t this awesome??!!!! Are you thinking about all the people you are going to #hug as soon as you are fully vaccinated?! #whowillyouhugfirst

5/ ❓ What does fully vaccinated mean?

✔️ 2 weeks following the last dose of your vaccine, you are fully vaccinated. For #vaccines that only require one dose, that’s two weeks after the one dose. For vaccines that require two doses, that’s two weeks after the second dose.

6/ ❓What about kids?

❌Children, even when they don't act like it, are ppl. Most children have not been vaccinated.
👏🏼 All unvaccinated children are unvaccinated ppl. 👏🏼 Children should NOT be getting together across households, just like other unvaccinated, non-children ppl!

7/ ❓Does this mean that fully vaccinated people can get together with also-fully-vaccinated friends indoors, without masks?

✔️ YES. Yes it does. Congratulations. Please keep the invitation list small for now. 🎉 bit.ly/2OAG2z0

8/ ❓Does this mean grandparents can visit unvaccinated family indoors, without masks & distancing?

✔️ YES--with a bit of caution. You can visit with the unvaccinated members of one household at a time, & only if the ppl you are visiting with are low-risk for severe outcomes.

9/ The unvaccinated members of two *different* households should still not be visiting with one another, or visiting their fully-vaccinated grandparents at the same time. Because they could still give #COVID19 to each other.

10/ Wondering who is at increased risk?

This category includes unvaccinated people who are older, pregnant, or who have medical conditions including cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, Down Syndrome, heart conditions, sickle cell disease among others. tinyurl.com/cdcincreasedri…

11/ ❓Does this mean vaccinated ppl definitely cannot spread #COVID to others?

🤔 We still don't have a really firm answer. Promising reports have been accumulating which indicate vaccinated ppl are at least much less likely to get infected & spread COVID including w/o symptoms.

12/ Also, every week, more & more people in the highest risk groups are getting #vaccinated, at least in high-income nations. This lowers the chances of really bad outcomes with any transmission from vaccinated people to unvaccinated people.

13/ Basically, fewer & fewer people who might end up with severe disease are walking around each day. But, this lingering unknown is why #vaccinated people should still take precautions around #highrisk people who have not yet been #vaccinated, and in public.

14/ ❓Does this mean fully vaccinated people can go out in public w/no mask or distancing?

❌ NO. Not yet. #CDC is still recommending vaccinated ppl wear masks & physically distance in public. This makes sense since you can’t necessarily know who is high-risk in public settings.

15/ ❓Does this mean fully vaccinated ppl can attend a large gathering? Karaoke night??

❌ NO. Not yet. CDC recommends vaccinated ppl still avoid medium- to large-sized gatherings & poorly ventilated spaces, & continue washing hands, wearing 😷 & physically distancing in public

16/ This makes sense since we are still trying to meet the goal of reducing overall transmission in the population. Wearing a mask is a signal to other people to wear a mask too. 😷

And also because the rest of us might get really, really jealous.

17/ ❓I’m vaccinated but my children are not. What category do I fall in?

🚸 YOU are fully vaccinated. Your children are not.
Let me repeat that: children who are not fully vaccinated are not fully vaccinated people!

18/ As a family, you can visit with 👏🏼 fully 👏🏼 vaccinated 👏🏼 ppl. Indoors with no masks or distancing. You, the vaccinated adult(s), are fully vaccinated. That means you can visit with either vaccinated ppl or, if you leave the kids at home, with low-risk unvaccinated ppl.

19/ Your children could still catch & transmit #Covid_19, & so they should NOT be visiting with unvaccinated people without precautions.

20/ As more & more ppl become #FullyVaccinated & the rate of #cases continues to drop, we expect guidelines around what vaccinated individuals can do in public to start to relax more. Stay tuned & the #NerdyGirls will share updates on this as they become available!