Vaccinated Americans, Start an Unmasked Rally (But Start Small)

On Monday, federal health officials have long denied millions of Americans vaccinated against the coronavirus, including gathering in small groups at home without masks or social distance. He said he could accept freedom again and provide a hopeful glance at the next stage of the pandemic.

The· RecommendationsArrived almost exactly a year after the virus began strangler figs from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans were warned of the rally for fear of spreading new pathogens.

Today, the agency is good news for long-distance families and individuals suffering from pandemic isolation. Vaccinated grandparents can visit adult children and grandchildren again under certain circumstances, even if they have not been vaccinated. Vaccinated adults may begin planning an unmasked dinner with their vaccinated friends.

So The number of cases and deaths is declining nationwide, Some state officials are in a hurry to reopen businesses and schools. The governors of Texas and Mississippi have lifted state-wide mask obligations. Federal health officials have repeatedly warned against loosening restrictions too soon, fearing that the move could set the stage for a fourth surge in infections and deaths.

The new recommendations aim to bring Americans closer to a more cautious path with clear boundaries for safe behaviour, but most of the country remains vulnerable and many scientific questions remain unanswered. It remains.

“As more Americans are vaccinated, there is increasing evidence that fully vaccinated people have some activity that can be resumed at a lower risk to themselves,” the CDC said. Dr. Rochelle P. Warrensky, director of the, said in White. House press conference on Monday.

On Thursday, President Biden will give his first golden-time television speech, highlighting the first anniversary of the onset of the pandemic and highlighting the “role played by Americans” to “return” the country. The secretary told reporters on Monday.

As of Monday, 60 million Americans Covid-19 vaccine at least onceAccording to a database maintained by the New York Times, about 31.3 million people were completely vaccinated. On average, providers administer approximately 2.17 million doses per day.

By the end of May, Biden promised that all American adults would have a sufficient dose. CDC officials emphasized on Monday that the vaccine is very effective in preventing “serious Covid-19 illness, hospitalization and death” and advised people to get the first vaccine available. I did.

Despite the rapid acceleration of vaccination, the pandemic will not recede overnight, experts said, praising the details and scientific basis of the CDC recommendations.

“It doesn’t switch on and off,” said Dr. Carlos Del Rio, Vice President of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. “It’s like turning off the faucet. Slowly start turning off the faucet.”

Still, “that’s welcome news,” he added. “It’s the first time they say they can do something instead of saying everything they can’t do. It’s huge.”

Vaile Wright, senior director of health care innovation at the American Psychological Association, said the new guidelines give coveted advice to individuals who are still hesitant to resume face-to-face interactions after being vaccinated. Offers.

Citing a study coming soon from the American Psychological Association, Dr. Wright is worried that about half of all adults, including 44% of fully vaccinated people, will re-enter normal life. He said he was. “It’s the level of uncertainty that causes that discomfort,” she said.

“It’s really hard to know what’s safe and what’s not. When it’s possible to provide people with science-based information —” this is what you can do, but it’s still a good idea to do it. It does. ”—It gives people what they need to make informed decisions about keeping them and their families safe.

In the new guidance, federal health officials say that fully vaccinated Americans gather indoors in private homes in small groups with other fully vaccinated people, without masks or distance. I advised that I could do it.

As long as unvaccinated people make up one household and all members are at low risk of developing serious illness if infected with the virus, with unvaccinated people in private homes without masks or distances You can get together.

For example, vaccinated grandparents may visit unvaccinated healthy adult children and healthy grandchildren without a mask or physical distance.

When asked if vaccinated families should kiss and hug unvaccinated children and grandchildren, Dr. Del Rio replied “yes” but cautioned that “don’t overdo it.” Prompted.

In public places, restaurants, gyms, and other places, vaccinated people continue to wear masks, stay socially distant, avoid poorly ventilated areas, and cover coughing and sneezing, according to CDC officials. You should take precautions such as washing your hands frequently.

The CDC’s advice is for fully vaccinated Americans, that is, at least two weeks after the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine or the single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine. ..

It was largely uncertain what was safe for newly vaccinated Americans and their unvaccinated neighbors and families. Scientists still don’t understand if and how often vaccinated people can still get the virus... Researchers say that certain settings still require masking and other precautions to contain the virus, if possible.

The CDC said on Monday that studies showed that fully vaccinated people are less likely to get asymptomatic infections and are “less likely to infect other people with the virus that causes Covid-19.” Stated. Still, authorities did not rule out the possibility of them inadvertently infecting the virus.

There is also uncertainty about how well the vaccine protects against new variants of the more contagious and perhaps more virulent virus, and how long the vaccine protection lasts. Some mutants have mutations that appear to blunt the body’s immune response.

The CDC advised that vaccinated Americans do not need to be quarantined or tested if exposed to the virus unless symptoms of infection appear. In that case, you should be quarantined, tested if possible, and consulted with your doctor.

Vaccinated Americans should not meet with unvaccinated people from multiple households and should continue to avoid large and medium-sized gatherings. (The agency did not specify the sizes that make up a large or medium-sized gathering.)

Guidance for fully vaccinated residents of group homes and imprisoned individuals is slightly different. Due to the high risk of infection in these environments, quarantine should be continued for 14 days to test for virus exposure.

Workers vaccinated in high-density environments such as meat packaging factories do not need to be quarantined after exposure to the coronavirus, but testing is still recommended.

The CDC did not revise its travel recommendations and continued to advise all Americans to stay home except when necessary. Dr. Walensky said the number of cases of the virus surged with each trip.

“We are really trying to curb travel,” she said. “And hope that our next set of guidance has more science on what vaccinated people can do.

Dr. Rebecca Weintraub, assistant professor of global health and social medicine at Harvard Medical School, said the new guidelines clearly detail the rewards of vaccination and should reduce the hesitation of prolonged vaccines in search of vaccination. He said it was likely to motivate more Americans.

“Many people can resume their coveted activities, in small gatherings where they can smile and hug each other because they are close to their loved ones,” said Dr. Weintlaub. ..

“It is well studied that expectations are an important element of joy,” she added. “These guidelines help each vaccinated person predict their future joy. As a doctor and vaccinated person, I’m excited.”

Noah Weiland contributed to the report.