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May 30, 2021

There are four COVID-19 vaccines available in the UAE for use on eligible individuals: Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik V, Oxford-AstraZeneca. These vaccines are highly effective at protecting people against symptomatic and severe COVID-19. Additionally, a growing body of evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people are less likely to have an asymptomatic infection or transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others. People are considered fully immunized against COVID-19 at least two weeks after receiving the second dose in a two-dose series. Unvaccinated people are individuals of all ages, including children, that have not completed a vaccination series or received a single-dose vaccine.

Based on current data on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, the American Center for Disease Control (CDC) released an interim public health guidance report for fully vaccinated people on 13 May 2021. The key points are as follows:

  • Fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting, except where required by governmental rules and regulations, business, and workplace guidance
  • Fully vaccinated people can refrain from testing following a known exposure unless they are residents or employees of a correctional or detention facility or a homeless shelter

In addition, fully vaccinated people can start doing many things they had stopped doing because of the pandemic. These activities are illustrated in the infographic below. The guiding principles for fully vaccinated people are summarized below:

  • Indoor and outdoor activities pose minimal risk to fully vaccinated people.
  • Fully vaccinated people have a reduced risk of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to unvaccinated people.
  • Fully vaccinated people should still get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
  • Fully vaccinated people should not visit private or public settings if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the previous ten days or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
  • Fully vaccinated people should continue to follow any applicable federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations.

There is currently no post-vaccination time limit on the fully vaccinated status, how long vaccine protection lasts, and how much vaccines protect against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. As such, the CDC will continue to evaluate and update public health recommendations for fully vaccinated people as more information becomes available. 

Source:

 

Michele Cherfane, PhD
College of Health Sciences
Abu Dhabi University

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