CDC Guidance

Based on the success of the vaccine rollout, the CDC released new guidance for vaccinated nursing home residents.  Residents can resume dining activities without masking or social distancing restrictions. Visitation is back and even hugging residents.

Facilities may need to limit the total number of visitors in the facility at one time, This will maintain “recommended infection control precautions.”  However, if unvaccinated healthcare personnel are present, protection is necessary. Then “everyone should wear source control and unvaccinated HCP should physically distance from others.”

If visitors and residents are both fully vaccinated, they can visit alone without masks and without social distancing.

People are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 when they reach two weeks or longer after receiving the second dose in a two-dose series involving the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or are two weeks or later after having received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson (J&J)/Janssen).

Federal health authorities issued new mask-wearing guidance for fully COVID-19 vaccinated people in the general public. Fully vaccinated Americans don’t need to wear a mask outside, except in crowded settings. Fully vaccinated individuals can unmask while walking, running, hiking, or biking outdoors alone or with members of their household.

More than 150 million American adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.  At least 30% of the country’s population now fully vaccinated against Covid-19. We are closer to herd immunity but we need to focus on teenagers next. 20% of Americans are under 18.