WHYY: Fully vaccinated and maskless: What does that mean for safety?

People who have been fully vaccinated — those who are two weeks past the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two weeks past the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine —  can resume most indoor and outdoor activities without wearing masks and without staying 6 feet apart, the CDC said on May 13. People who are not vaccinated should only go maskless when going for a walk, run or bike ride, or attending a small outdoor gathering where everyone else is fully vaccinated. At all other times, unvaccinated people should wear masks, the CDC advises. Plus, only about 45% of adult Americans have been fully vaccinated, which means more than half of the population are still vulnerable. “If we have lots and lots of people around us who are all vaccinated, that lowers the likelihood that the virus can find a new home, a new person who is susceptible,” said Carolyn Cannuscio, associate professor of family medicine and community health at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. “Because so many people are still susceptible, have not been vaccinated, and have not had prior COVID-19 infection, we still need to work to get more people vaccinated. And very importantly, we still need to maintain some of our other effective strategies for prevention. And that includes mask use.” Read more at WHYY.