CDC: Fully Vaccinated People Can Forego Masks, Social Distancing

Inside Health Policy
By Beth Wang / May 13, 2021 at 3:20 PM
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday (May 13) announced that anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing. However, people who are traveling on buses, trains, airplanes and other forms of public transportation must still wear masks.
 
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the agency updated its guidance in response to data that have emerged over the last two weeks showing that COVID-19 cases in the United States have dropped by a third. Vaccines have also become increasingly available over the past two weeks.
Real-world data also have shown that the vaccines are highly effective against COVID-19, Walensky said. She cited a study from Israel that showed the vaccines were 97% effective against symptomatic infection and 86% effective against asymptomatic infection in over 5,000 health care workers. Another study of more than 4,000 health care workers in the United States showed that the vaccines were 90% effective against any infection. A third study of 24 hospitals showed that the vaccines are 94% effective against hospitalizations from COVID-19.
 
Data also show the vaccines are effective against the variants circulating in the United States, according to Walensky. A study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine showed the Pfizer vaccine is about 90% and 75% effective against infection from the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants, respectively, circulating in the United States. Additional studies confirm that the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are also effective against circulating variants, Walensky added.
 
Additionally, Walensky said, data have shown that those who get infected after being vaccinated are more likely to have a lower viral load and a shorter duration of infection. They’re also less likely to transmit the virus to others.
 
We have all longed for this moment where we can get back to some sense of normalcy,” Walensky said. “Based on the continuing downward trajectory of cases, the scientific data on the performance of our vaccines and our understanding of how the virus spreads, that moment has come for those who are fully vaccinated.”
 
Masks will still be required on public transportation and in public transportation stations, including airports. And health care facilities will continue to follow their specific infection control guidelines, Walensky said.
 
The CDC director cautioned that if things get worse, CDC will change its recommendations.
“This past year has shown us that this virus can be unpredictable. So if things get worse, there is always a chance we may need to make changes to these recommendations. But we know that the more people are vaccinated, the less cases we will have and the less chance of a new spike or additional variants emerging,” Walensky said.
 
She added that anyone who does develop symptoms should still wear a mask and get tested right away. Unvaccinated people should also continue to wear masks. -- Beth Wang ([email protected])

[Please note that, local, State, and private business mask and social distancing guidelines still prevail]