Got Your COVID-19 Vaccine? 3 Things to Do Now

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If you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, you are protected from getting very sick from the coronavirus.

What does “fully vaccinated” mean?

According to CDC guidelines, you are fully vaccinated when it has been:

Two weeks after your second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Two weeks after a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. However, data from clinical trials are clear that there is further improvement four weeks after the single-shot vaccine, especially for preventing severe COVID-19 or having asymptomatic infection. For this reason, Johns Hopkins Medicine recommends four weeks after the single-dose vaccine to be considered fully vaccinated.

If you don’t meet these requirements, you are not fully vaccinated.

Lisa Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H., senior director of infection prevention, and Gabor Kelen, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response, share three things to remember as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Keep wearing your mask.

Researchers don’t know if people who have been vaccinated can still spread the coronavirus, and there are new variants of the coronavirus circulating in some areas. So, staying masked up in public places is still essential to stay safe and protect others.
Keep washing your hands.

Hand hygiene is always important, and especially to protect everyone from the coronavirus. Keep using hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol) or plain old soap and water, especially when you are in public places and around people from outside your household.
Keep physical distancing.

Every person who gets vaccinated brings us a little closer to the end of the coronavirus pandemic, but while so many people are still unprotected, staying at least 6 feet away from people outside of your “bubble” is a must. Likewise, avoid gathering to eat and drink with others, especially indoors and in close proximity, because this can still spread COVID-19. The CDC has issued new guidance for fully vaccinated people gathering in small groups at home.