CDC: Fully vaccinated people don’t need to quarantine after COVID exposure

The CDC on Wednesday quietly slipped in an update to its quarantine guidance. The agency has made it a bit of a habit to tuck important news into website updates with little fanfare.

In this case, the agency said that most individuals who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for at least two weeks do not need to quarantine after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 if they have not had COVID-19 symptoms.

“Fully vaccinated persons who meet criteria will no longer be required to quarantine following an exposure to someone with COVID-19,” the CDC said in the updated guidance Wednesday.

“Vaccinated persons with an exposure to someone with someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not required to quarantine” if they received both shots of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, and that at least two weeks have gone by since the second dose was administered.

Protection evidence: The CDC said that people should also quarantine if more than three months have passed since they received the second shot and they are exposed to the virus, given it is unclear how long protections last. People should also quarantine if they experience coronavirus symptoms.