If you have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and are exposed to someone with the virus, you no longer need to be quarantined for 14 days, as long as you have no symptoms, according to the new recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Guidance ahead of wide availability of vaccines
As vaccines prevent symptomatic infections by COVID-19, and symptomatic people are considered to be more contagious, the CDC said the risk of unnecessary quarantine outweighs the potential unknown risk of transmission among vaccinated people.
If vaccinated people decide to skip quarantine after exposure, the CDC said, they should only do so if it has been 14 days since the second dose, and should continue to monitor themselves for symptoms.
The CDC’s COVID Data Tracker shows that 68,285,575 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the United States and 46,390,270 have been administered. About 10% of Americans received at least one dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
This morning, Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, appeared on NBC’s Today show and said that in April most Americans who want a vaccine will be able to get it easily, saying that this spring would be a “hunting season”.
“As we enter March and April, the number of doses available will allow for a much broader approach to mass vaccination,” said Fauci. “I imagine that when we get to April, that will be what I would call, for better formulation, ‘public bidding’. That is, virtually anyone and everyone in any category can start getting vaccinated. “
Fauci also demonstrated live on TV how two masks can offer a closer fit and more protection against COVID-19, following a recommendation made yesterday by the CDC to coat the surgical masks with cloth masks or to use a mask adjuster.
California identifies the first cases of variant B1351
California Governor Gavin Newsom said his state had identified its first cases of the B1351 COVID-19 variant, one in each Alameda county and one in Santa Clara county. The B1351 strain, also known as the South African strain, has been less susceptible to currently approved vaccines.
So far, only three states have reported a total of nine cases of B1351, according to the CDC. The most common variant in the United States is B117, or the United Kingdom variant. There are 932 confirmed cases of B117 in 34 states.
Both B117 and B1351 are more contagious than the original wild-type SARS-CoV-2 virus. Another variant, P1, produced three cases in two states.
Yesterday, the United States reported 93,166 new cases of COVID-19 and 3,219 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins’ COVID-19 tracker. In total, the country has 27,356,234 cases, including 474,198 deaths.
Research: COVID seen as less risk, impact on mental health
Also today, new Axios-Ipsos research shows that Americans’ perception of coronavirus risk is the lowest since October. Two-thirds of respondents said that returning to a pre-pandemic life is a moderate or large risk.
Young people (18 to 29 years old) and Republicans were the least likely to perceive the virus as a risk, with only 58% and 49% of those groups saying they see the virus as a risk at this time.
Most respondents showed confusion about how and when to start returning to pre-pandemic life.
“As an example, when attending family or friends meetings, a quarter (28%) is already doing so, a quarter (22%) will expect their circle to be vaccinated, a quarter (24%) will expect that employees say it is safe and a quarter (24%) do not know, “Ipsos said in a press release on the survey.
The Kaiser Family Foundation also released new research on the implications of COVID-19 on Americans’ mental health and substance use. Approximately 4 out of 10 American adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder during the pandemic.
The number is even higher (56%) in young adults (18 to 24 years old), who are also twice as likely as all adults to report substance abuse (25% versus 13%) and suicidal thoughts (26% against 11%).