99.6% of cases in Los Angeles were not vaccinated 0:42
(CNN) -
Being fully vaccinated against the coronavirus brings an exciting degree of freedom.
It can also trigger a new round of mental gymnastics when you experience potential covid-19 symptoms or were exposed to the virus.
Until now, the coronavirus vaccines available in the United States provide strong protection against the coronavirus, including the delta variant that now dominates throughout the country. At this time, there is no evidence that immunity is beginning to wear off among people who received COVID-19 vaccines in December or January, or that they are at increased risk of serious infections, said Dr. Jay Butler. , deputy director of infectious diseases for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during a briefing Tuesday.
Post-vaccination infections, or cases among fully vaccinated people, are rare: of the 157 million people vaccinated as of July 6, only 5,186 hospitalized or fatal post-vaccination cases have been reported to the CDC, and more than 1,500 of these were asymptomatic, or hospitalization or death were not related to covid-19.
The CDC notes that this is likely an undercount of actual cases of this type of infection.
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And for fully vaccinated people, the CDC guidelines on testing, quarantine, and isolation after exposure to someone with COVID-19 are different.
"What they say is that if you are fully vaccinated, the probability that you will be infected with (the coronavirus) is much lower, and the probability that you are an asymptomatic carrier is also greatly reduced, because even if you do get infected, you carry much less virus and therefore you are less able to pass it on to others, "said Dr. Leana Wen, CNN medical analyst, emergency room physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the Milken Institute School of Public Health in the United States. George Washington University.
"The problem, however, is in the delta variant," Wen added.
"The delta variant appears to be present in higher numbers in infected (unvaccinated) people."
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What is not yet fully known is to what extent the delta variant could affect the transmission-blocking ability of coronavirus vaccines, said Dr. Albert Ko, director and professor of the department of epidemiology and microbial diseases of the Yale School of Public Health.
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If you're fully vaccinated but have been exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing related symptoms, here's what to keep in mind regarding symptom monitoring, testing, quarantine, and more.
When vaccinated people should be tested
Fully vaccinated people who are exposed to COVID-19 and are asymptomatic, that is, do not experience symptoms, can refrain from undergoing the coronavirus test and quarantine, since their risk of infection is low, with some exceptions for specific settings , as advised by the CDC as of May 28.
Exceptions include those who work in healthcare, a correctional facility, or a homeless shelter.
If a fully vaccinated asymptomatic person has a known or suspected exposure to COVID-19 but is not tested, they should be aware of symptoms within two weeks.
But the tests are available and generally easily accessible.
Unlike the CDC guidelines, Wen advises vaccinated people who spend long periods around an infected and symptomatic person to get tested and quarantine for seven days before taking another test if the first was negative.
"The CDC's guidance, at the moment, lacks nuances, that is, there is a difference between if you have a temporary interaction with a colleague at work that later turns out to have covid and if you live at home and care for someone who has covid It's very different, "Wen said.
"Even if people are not symptomatic but have long and close contact with someone, it is prudent for them to self-quarantine and get tested as well."
Wen encourages vaccinated people to carefully consider any interactions they may have after being exposed to someone who has COVID-19.
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"I think you have to use common sense. I don't want someone to come to work and tell me that they just spent the whole night taking care of their spouse, who is sick from covid," Wen added.
"Should that person really be in a crowded conference room with a lot of people? Does that sound right to you? He has no common sense."
Whether you're vaccinated or not, your symptoms mean you should get tested, Dr. Vivek Murthy, a US surgeon general, said on CNN's New Day program on Tuesday.
"We've seen that a lot of people don't get tested across the country, even though they have symptoms," Murthy told CNN's Brianna Keiler.
"A lot of people are thinking, 'Oh, the covid is over. Why do I need to get tested?"
and this is particularly happening in areas, unfortunately, where vaccination rates are low, which is exactly where we want to do more testing. "
According to the CDC, fully vaccinated people in the US do not need to be tested for coronavirus or self-quarantined before or after domestic travel, unless required by local authorities at the destination or residence.
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But before vaccinated people, including U.S. citizens, board a flight from anywhere overseas to the U.S., they must have a negative coronavirus test or covid-19 recovery documentation, according to the CDC.
Alternative documentation includes an antibody test or the absence of symptoms, Ko said. The CDC has also recommended that international travelers arriving in the U.S. get tested for coronavirus three to five days after travel, regardless. your vaccination status.
After traveling abroad, vaccinated people do not need to be quarantined unless they show symptoms.
What to do if you are vaccinated and you test positive
Vaccinated people who have experienced COVID-19 symptoms in the past 10 days should be tested and isolated from others for 10 days if their test is positive, according to CDC recommendations.
If the coronavirus test is still negative but you are sick with another viral disease, you should not spread it by going to work or other public spaces, Wen said.
While quarantine separates people who have been exposed to see if they get sick, isolation separates sick and contagious people from those who are not.
Symptoms of covid-19 include, but are not limited to, the following, according to the CDC:
Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or shortness of breath
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headaches
Loss of taste or smell
Throat pain
Stuffy or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea
If you had contact with someone infected with COVID-19, you are asymptomatic and you live with unvaccinated or immunosuppressed people, you should get tested as soon as possible, Wen said.
"Even if that test came back negative, I would still quarantine those vulnerable family members for seven days and then take another test," he said.
If the test result is negative, you can consider ending the quarantine and just watching for any symptoms for another week, Ko said.
"Current vaccines are certainly very protective against death and hospitalizations," he added, but "we want to err on (the side of) caution."
What to expect if you get infected
If you show symptoms of a coronavirus infection, you will be less ill than you would be if you had not been vaccinated, Wen said.
There may be bothersome symptoms, but it is not likely to progress to hospitalization, and it is very unlikely to result in death.
The US health authorities have reiterated that more than 99% of deaths from covid-19 in June occurred among unvaccinated people, and that with plenty of vaccines available, death from covid-19 can be prevented .
"If you hadn't been vaccinated, you could have ended up in the hospital," Wen added.
"But since you got vaccinated, you have muscle aches and fever that go away in a few days. That is (a) testament to the power of the vaccine."
This happens because coronavirus vaccines reduce the viral load that an infected person has in the nose, mouth and eyes, Ko said.
"That's important because that viral load is a determining factor in transmission to other people," Ko explained. "Overall, there is very good evidence that these vaccines either protect against transmission or have the ability to block it. The question now is how much It is effective against these new variants such as the delta, and how long it will last us. "
- CNN's Jamie Gumbrecht and Maggie Fox contributed to this report.
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