You’ve finally received the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine. While that is truly wonderful news, it doesn’t mean that you can go back to doing all the things that you used to do. So, before you start kissing your grandchildren and throwing all your face masks away, however, vigilance still needs to be practiced to protect yourself and those who have yet to receive the vaccine.
We realize you’re excited to find out what are the things you can do this summer once you’re fully vaccinated. But before we get to that, let’s first find out what the term “fully vaccinated” means.
What does “fully vaccinated” mean?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that you aren’t considered fully vaccinated until it’s been at least two weeks since you received the second dose of a two-dose vaccine, like Pfizer’s or Moderna’s vaccine, or it’s been a couple of weeks since you’ve gotten a single-dose variant like Johnson & Johnson’s. Furthermore, the CDC emphasizes that if it hasn’t been two weeks since you got a single-dose vaccine or if you haven’t gotten the second dose in the series, then you aren’t completely protected. This means that you still have to comply with all the basic health protocols like wearing a mask, sanitizing your hands and staying away from large crowds.
Why do you have to wait for two weeks?
The vaccine that you’ll receive will help your immune system how to recognize and battle the virus that leads to COVID-19. Contrary to other vaccines, you’re not getting the live virus. It can take two weeks after you receive the vaccine for your body to establish immunity against the virus that causes COVID-19. Because of this, it’s conceivable that you’ll still be able to contract COVID-19 before or just after vaccination and then, get sick from it because the vaccine hasn’t had sufficient time to work as planned.
What can fully vaccinated people do?
There are plenty of benefits that you can enjoy once you are fully vaccinated.
You can organize gatherings
Aside from a lesser possibility of getting sick, one of the benefits that you’ll enjoy is getting chances to see people who you haven’t seen since the health crisis began in early 2020. If you and the people you’re seeing have already been vaccinated, then you no longer have to wear masks, even when the gathering is held indoors.
You no longer have to quarantine
Once you’re completely vaccinated, you no longer have to quarantine after you’re exposed to COVID-19 unless you start experiencing some symptoms. Should this happen, it can mean that the vaccine you’ve had isn’t effective or you’ve been exposed to a whole new variant of the virus.
You can finally see your grandchildren
We’re sure that you’re missing your grandchildren badly. Because of COVID-19, your interactions with your grandkids have been limited to virtual meets or drive-by visits. However, if you’ve been fully vaccinated, you can finally visit them and spoil them as a grandma or grandpa should! Even if your grandchildren have not received the vaccine, you can still see them so long as your interactions are limited to a small group that comes from the same household.
You can visit places in nearby locales
If you’re dreaming of seeing the world once again, we’re sorry to say that you have to put those plans on hold for now because the loosening of recommendations is meant for small groups that have been completely vaccinated, and not large groups who aren’t vaccinated. However, you may now see the sights in your community or city, or even dine out without fear of getting sick.