the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued new COVID-19 guidelines for fully vaccinated people, and encouraging more to get shots.
The latest guidelines ease restrictions in certain situations, but health experts say that the CDC is too cautious and does not offer enough incentive for Americans who are still deciding whether or not they should get the vaccine.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Recommendations: Masks Are Not Needed
According to the CDC's guidelines that were issued on Tuesday, Apr. 27, fully vaccinated people are no longer required to wear face masks outdoors when alone or with a small group of people.
Fully vaccinated workers are also allowed to continue working if exposed to COVID-19, but only if they do not have any symptoms, and maybe exempt from routine screening testing.
They are also not required to go under quarantine after a known exposure, but only if they do not work in the health sector.
However, fully vaccinated people are still required to wear face masks when participating in activities in crowded venues, as well as refraining from being close to unvaccinated people from different households.
The CDC also clarified that people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving two doses of the 2-dose COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) and/or two weeks after receiving Johnson and Johnson's single-dose vaccine.
Experts' Take on the Latest CDC Guideline
Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, said that the latest CDC guideline does not go far enough, as it does not stress the fact that "vaccines induce immunity."
UCHealth registered nurse Karen Nerger administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at a mass COVID-19 vaccination event on January 30, 2021 in Denver, Colorado.
"If you tell people that you can do just about anything if you are vaccinated, that is telling people that you have confidence in the vaccines," Reiner said. "But what's the message to the country when you tell people who are fully vaccinated 'Be wary of crowded locations?' You're casting doubt on the efficacy of the vaccine. And I don't think there is any doubt on the efficacy of these vaccines."
Meanwhile, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a White House COVID-19 press conference that while vaccines are effective, they would continue to advise using face masks as long as the U.S. continues to report more than 50,000 cases a day.
She added that they would continue to advise Americans to get vaccinated in hopes of ending the battle against COVID-19.
However, some Americans are still choosing not to get vaccinated for various reasons, and misinformation about the vaccine continue to spread.
U.S. COVID-19 Statistics and Vaccine Rollout
The New York Times' latest COVID-19 case counts state that as of Wednesday, Apr. 28, only 29% of Americans are fully vaccinated, while 43% received the first dose of the vaccine.
Meanwhile, 53,803 average cases were reported on Tuesday, Apr. 27 with 44,171 of the cases were hospitalized.
The latest numbers bring the total active cases in the U.S. to 32,203,090.
Several states expressed their optimism about COVID-19 vaccinations, but experts clarify that returning to normalcy will not be abrupt as many believed.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Leigh Mercer
