This does not mean that they should stop taking precautions, the CDC noted in updated guidelines. It is simply not necessary for them to be quarantined.
“People vaccinated with exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not required to be quarantined if they meet all of the criteria below,” added the CDC.
The criteria: They must be fully vaccinated – having received both vaccines at least two weeks since the second injection. That’s because it takes two weeks to build full immunity after the second dose of the vaccine.
But the CDC says that protection may decrease after three months, so people who have had their last injection three months or more should still be quarantined if they are exposed. They should also be quarantined if they show symptoms, said the CDC.
“This recommendation to dispense quarantine for people with immunity derived from the vaccine aligns with the quarantine recommendations for those with natural immunity, which facilitates implementation,” said the CDC.
People who have been vaccinated should still experience symptoms for 14 days after being exposed to someone infected, the CDC said.
And everyone, whether vaccinated or not, needs to follow all other precautions to prevent the virus from spreading, said the CDC. This is because it is possible that even vaccinated people can harbor the virus in their noses and throats and pass it on to others.
“At this point, vaccinated people should continue to follow current guidelines to protect themselves and others, including wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds, avoiding poorly ventilated spaces, covering coughs and sneezing, washing hands frequently, following CDC travel guidelines and all guidelines applicable to the workplace or school, including guidelines related to the use of personal protective equipment or SARS-CoV-2 testing, “said the agency.
Vaccines prevent symptomatic diseases, but they have not yet been shown to prevent asymptomatic diseases, noted the CDC. Although people without symptoms can spread the coronavirus, said the CDC, “symptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission is believed to have a greater role in transmission than purely asymptomatic transmission”.
In addition, the benefits of not unnecessarily forcing people into confinement for two weeks can outweigh the risks of transmission in such cases, said the CDC.
“These criteria can also be applied when considering work restrictions for health professionals fully vaccinated with high risk exposures, as a strategy to alleviate staff shortages. It is important to note that exposed health professionals would not be required to quarantine outside of work, said the CDC.
“As an exception to the above guidance, which no longer requires quarantine for fully vaccinated people, vaccinated inpatients and health facility residents must continue to quarantine after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19; outpatients should be treated for the use of Transmission-Based Precautions “, added the CDC.
This is because it is not clear how effective the vaccine is in hospitalized people.
“Although not preferred, healthcare facilities may consider dispensing quarantine for vaccinated patients and residents as a strategy to mitigate critical problems (eg, lack of space, staff or PPE to safely care for exposed patients or residents) when other options are unsuccessful or unavailable. These decisions can be made in consultation with public health officials and infection control specialists. “