Vaccinated people need not quarantine post COVID-19 exposure, CDC says
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[February 11, 2021]
(Reuters) - People who have received
the full course of COVID-19 vaccines can skip the standard 14-day
quarantine after exposure to someone with the infection as long as they
remain asymptomatic, U.S. public health officials advised.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on
Wednesday the vaccines have been shown to prevent symptomatic COVID-19,
thought to play a greater role in the transmission of the virus than
asymptomatic disease.
"Individual and societal benefits of avoiding unnecessary quarantine may
outweigh the potential but unknown risk of transmission (among
vaccinated individuals)," the CDC said.
The agency has laid down strict criteria for people who would no longer
have to quarantine after the vaccinations, including having received
both doses of a two-dose vaccine.
People who choose not to quarantine should do so only if they received
their last dose within three months, and should only avoid 14 days
quarantine after their last shot, the time it takes to develop immunity,
CDC said.
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People queue to receive coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccinations
at the LA Mission homeless shelter on Skid Row, in Los Angeles,
California, U.S., February 10, 2021. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Fully vaccinated persons who do not quarantine should still watch
for symptoms for 14 days following an exposure.
Two-dose vaccines from Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc have been
authorized for emergency use in the United States. Johnson & Johnson
applied for a U.S. authorization of its single-dose shot last week.
(Reporting by Manas Mishra and Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; Editing by
Shounak Dasgupta and Sriraj Kalluvila)
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