New recommendations released from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that fully vaccinated people can safely visit with other vaccinated people and small groups of unvaccinated people in some circumstances. “Fully vaccinated” according to the CDC means people who are two weeks past their second dose of the Moderna and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines or two weeks past the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. 

While the new guidance does not directly address what this means for long-term care or elder care facilities, the new CDC guidelines do state that grandparents who are fully vaccinated can visit indoor with their unvaccinated children or grandchildren without wearing masks or physical distancing, if none of the family members are at risk for severe Covid-19.

The new guidelines from the CDC state that fully vaccinated people can:

• Visit other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physically distancing.
• Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe Covid-19 disease indoors without wearing a mask or physical distancing.
• Skip quarantine and testing if they have been exposed to someone who has Covid-19 but is asymptomatic.

People who are vaccinated should still take precautions such as:

• Wear a mask and practice physical distancing in public, when visiting with unvaccinated people who are at an increased risk for severe Covid-19, and around people from multiple households. 
• Get tested if experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms.
• Avoid medium-and large-sized in-person gatherings. 

While the numbers are growing daily, nearly 38.3 million Americans are fully vaccinated, which represents 11.6% of the population, according to Our World in Data. The Covid-19 vaccines are known to prevent the disease, especially with severe illness and death, but what scientists and doctors are still learning is how effective the vaccines are against variants of the virus that cause Covid-19. Early data is pointing to the vaccine may work against some variants but could be less effective against others, according to the CDC. 

Federal data also shows that about 4.6 million first doses and 2.5 million second doses have been given thus far to residents and staff in long-term care facilities. There are approximately 5 million residents living in nursing homes and assisted living, and 1.5 million people working in nursing homes, according to AHCA/NCAL. 

If you have questions about the Covid-19 vaccine for your patients, please reach out to our team. Call us at 845-341-2700 or contact us online.