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The dos and don’ts after getting vaccinated for COVID-19

Posted at 11:45 AM, Mar 26, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-26 11:45:15-04

(WXYZ) — Questions are arising as more and more people are vaccinated for COVID-19. Michiganders are asking what they can and cannot do once they’re fully immunized.

The term “fully-vaccinated” means you’ve had either two shots of Moderna or Pfizer’s vaccine or one shot of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine and that two weeks have gone by.

Here’s what fully vaccinated people can do:

  • You can visit fully-vaccinated friends and family without wearing a mask or social distancing. You can meet indoors or outside.
  • If you’d like to visit folks who are not vaccinated, you can do so, but only if it’s a single household and everyone is considered to be at low risk of developing severe COVID-19 illness
  • And lastly, if you’re exposed to someone who tests positive for COVID, you don’t have to quarantine or get tested. As long as you’re asymptomatic, meaning you have no symptoms.

What shouldn’t people do who are fully-vaccinated:

  • Well, first of all, you should not think that you can skip pandemic precautions and go hog-wild doing whatever you want to do. While the vaccines are highly effective, they are not 100%. And there have been reports of breakthrough COVID cases after immunizations. Having said that, they typically are minor illnesses.
  • Next, the CDC is asking that all folks, even those who are fully-vaccinated, avoid traveling right now. Mostly because we don’t really know if the vaccines prevent transmission of the virus. Evidence suggests that they do, but we’re not sure how low the risk actually is.
  • And lastly, fully-vaccinated folks should continue to avoid crowds, avoid poorly ventilated spaces and wear masks and social distance if visiting unvaccinated people from multiple households.

Additional Coronavirus information and resources:

View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.

See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.

Visit our The Rebound Detroit, a place where we are working to help people impacted financially from the coronavirus. We have all the information on everything available to help you through this crisis and how to access it.