As the United States enters into possibly a fourth surge of the coronavirus pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) briefings have resumed after the former administration’s curtailment of the practice. New guidance have been issued on what you can do now you’re fully vaccinated. But can they convince millions of distrusting Americans to follow the guidance?
Following almost a year of disinformation, misinformation, and lies about the Coronavirus, the Biden administration’s CDC has resumed its essential public information function through press and other briefings about its current findings and guidelines to combat the next potential surge of the virus.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky gave a briefing Friday announcing new guidance on what fully vaccinated people can do and focusing on some new scientific findings that have caused CDC to modify certain of its prior guidance.
Reflecting the latest evidence and science, a person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last recommended dose of vaccine.
Fully vaccinated people can travel at low risk to themselves within the United States and do not need COVID-19 testing or post-travel self-quarantine as long as they continue to take COVID-19 precautions while traveling – wearing a mask, avoiding crowds, socially distancing, and washing hands frequently.
Fully vaccinated people can travel internationally without getting a COVID-19 test before travel unless it is required by the international destination. Fully vaccinated people do not need to self-quarantine after returning to the United States, unless required by a state or local jurisdiction.
However, fully vaccinated people must still have a negative COVID-19 test result before they board a flight to the United States, and they must get a COVID-19 test three to five days after returning from international travel.
Finally, fully vaccinated people should continue to take COVID-19 precautions while traveling internationally.
The CDC’s existing guidance for people who are not fully vaccinated has not changed. Unvaccinated travelers should still get tested 1-3 days before domestic travel and again 3-5 days after travel. They should stay home and self-quarantine for seven days after travel or ten days if they are not tested at the conclusion of travel. CDC still discourages non-essential domestic travel by people not fully vaccinated.
The modified CDC guidance reading transmission of the virus through contact with surfaces now suggests that such transmission is low risk. It had been thought previously such transmission occurred easily through contact with door handles, elevator buttons, and the like, although it was not clear how long the virus could remain on surfaces of various materials.
The CDC had recommended disinfecting all surfaces to minimize the risk of contracting the virus. Now, according to CDC, touching surfaces is a relatively low risk way of transmitting the virus. CDC recommends simply washing most surfaces with soap and water.
More than 106 million people in the US have received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose. President Joe Biden recently updated his goal to 200 million vaccines during his first 100 days from taking office on Jan. 20.
“With millions of Americans getting vaccinated every day, it is important to update the public on the latest science about what fully vaccinated people can do safely, now including guidance on safe travel,” said Dr. Walensky.
While communication of facts is key to getting the pandemic under control, the issue facing CDC is distrust by many Americans who were taken in by the misinformation campaign incessantly pushed by the former administration that taking measures to combat the virus, such as wearing masks and getting vaccinated, are up to the individual to choose to do or not to do and are not necessary.
Dr. Walensky said the CDC continues to encourage “every American to get vaccinated as soon as it’s their turn, so we can begin to safely take steps back to our everyday lives.”
While vaccinations are occurring at the incredible rate of three million per day in the US, with a population of over 300 million, a large number of Americans remain unvaccinated. The CDC therefore recommends that fully vaccinated people continue to take COVID-19 precautions, such as wearing a mask, social distancing, washing hands frequently and avoiding crowds when in public, when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple other households, and when around unvaccinated people who are at high risk of getting severely ill from COVID-19.
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