After the CDC shifted this week to less restrictive mask guidance for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, some leaders in the public health world felt blindsided. While some people rejoiced, others say they feel the change has come too soon. Ben Hasty / MediaNews Group via Getty Images
If you re fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (as in, you ve gotten all your shots and waited two weeks) the U. S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday you can mostly go ahead and stop wearing your mask and stop social distancing inside and out. Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance, the CDC now says. (There are some important exceptions we ll get into below).
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CDC Urges Docs to Puncture Vaccine Vial Even for Just One Person
Colton James Edwards, a student at Tusculum University in Tusculum, Tennessee, receives a COVID-19 shot at Plateau Pediatrics in Crossville. Nationwide, more pediatricians are expected to start offering COVID-19 vaccinations.
Provided by Plateau Pediatrics
Now that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for adolescents, hundreds of thousands of parents likely are searching for a place to get their kids vaccinated.
Many are expected to call their pediatricians only to find they don’t have vaccines in stock, partly because doctors have been worried about wasting doses.
Photo: News10NBC. Created: May 13, 2021 08:12 PM
(AP) U.S. health officials aren t allocating any additional doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for next week, as a Baltimore contract manufacturer that s the key supplier of the shots in the country remains under scrutiny for serious quality lapses.
But many states still have remaining supplies of the J&J vaccine because its use was paused for 11 days while health officials investigated unusual blood clots in a tiny number of the millions of vaccine recipients, federal officials said during a call with governors this week.
In Maryland, the health department said it was told it may not receive additional J&J shots in the coming weeks either. The department said in a statement it s asking providers to use about 88,000 remaining doses of the shots.
Washington: Americans who are fully vaccinated can go without masks or physical distancing in most cases, even when they are indoors or in large groups, federal officials said Thursday, paving the way for a full reopening of society.
The change represents a huge shift symbolically and practically for pandemic-weary Americans, millions of whom have lived with the restrictions for more than a year. A growing number have complained they cannot do more even after being fully vaccinated and criticised the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for being overly cautious. More than 154 million Americans have had at least one shot and 117 million are fully vaccinated, about 35 per cent of the population.