"Hi everyone. This is Dr. Stephanie Camaglia Reznick. I'm a board certified internist and one of the medical directors for Virtual Primary Care here at Oscar. In today's video, I'm going to talk a bit more about the COVID-19 vaccination.
If you're one of the people who has been fully vaccinated, meaning it's been at least two weeks since your second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or at least two weeks since your one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, then congratulations! You have taken a huge step towards stopping this pandemic.
You're probably wondering. Now that I'm vaccinated, can I go back to things as they were before the pandemic? Unfortunately, the answer is still no, but as someone who has received the vaccine, you can do more than those who have not been vaccinated.
I'm going to review the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines (opens in new tab) as of the end of March 2021. Keep in mind that the pandemic is ever evolving and there might be new variants that the vaccines do not protect against very well. For that reason, we recommend that you continue to stay up to date on the CDC on the current recommendations.
The current recommendations are that if you're vaccinated and you're visiting another group of people who are also fully vaccinated, you can be indoors and unmasked.
Additionally, if you are vaccinated and another group from just one household is unvaccinated and no one in that unvaccinated household is at high risk for complications from COVID-19 if they were to catch the virus, then you might also meet with them indoors and unmasked.
That said, it is certainly fine to be cautious and opt to continue to wear your mask.
If you've been exposed to COVID-19 after you've been fully vaccinated, you no longer have to quarantine and you don't have to test yourself for COVID-19 unless you develop symptoms. That said, if you live in a group home, so an assisted living facility, it is recommended that you quarantine or test, even if you don't develop symptoms.
General guidelines for staying safe
After an exposure, whether or not you're vaccinated, you should:
Continue to wear your masks in public practice
Social distance
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol in it.
Traveling is still not recommended.
Even if you are vaccinated, you should be mindful if you are to develop symptoms of COVID-19 as even though you're lower risk to catch the infection, you theoretically still could.
Finally, every workplace has different guidances in place so I recommend you talk to your employer to make sure you're following their steps.
Remember, these vaccines are a big step towards stopping the pandemic, but we're not there yet.
Thank you so much for your consideration and what I know has been a difficult road this past year. We're almost there."
Updated April 12, 2021
*Virtual providers like Dr. Reznick are employed by Oscar Medical Group and are not employed by Oscar Health, Inc.
This content does not constitute medical advice and is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, including diagnosis or treatment. Contact your physician with any questions you may have regarding COVID-19 or your personal health. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 911 for immediate assistance.
![Guidelines for Fully Vaccinated People [Video]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fjnbz686p%2Fhioscar_production%2F6a512f035d6237e4af5085259e64dceb0cde3e7e-3840x2160.png%3Fw%3D3840%26fit%3Dmax%26fm%3Dwebp&w=3840&q=75)