If You've Been Vaccinated, Here's When You Can Remove Your Mask - msnNOW

If you've been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, it's OK to gather with others unmasked in certain situations, but it's still important to wear a mask and observe social distancing in public, health experts say. The Centers for Disease Control&Prevention recently released guidelines for the newly vaccinated. The agency advised that it's OK to remove your mask if you're a fully vaccinated person and are gathering indoors with other fully vaccinated people, or if you're gathering indoors with unvaccinated members of one other household (unless one of those people is at risk for severe COVID-19). Read on to see when exactly you can remove your mask—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had Coronavirus.

a close up of a person talking on a cell phone: Woman with protective face mask setting music on smart phone and putting earphones before exercise.

The CDC still says vaccinated people should wear a mask in public

You're fully vaccinated two weeks after getting your second dose of a two-dose vaccine, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson&Johnson’s vaccine, the agency said.

However, the CDC joined a chorus of experts who say it's necessary for fully vaccinated people to wear a mask in public, and to practice social distancing and other preventative measures like avoiding travel and large gatherings.

That's because it's still unclear whether COVID vaccines only block symptoms and severe illness, or if they also prevent vaccinated people from carrying the virus and transmitting it to others.

There has been controversy around this advice—notably, Senator Rand Paul challenged Dr. Anthony Fauci over it last week during a Senate panel—but "there is no situation in which there is no risk. So [the guidance] recognizes a range of risks," said Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, on the hospital's website.

Those vaccinated can disregard certain other restrictions; they no longer need to quarantine after COVID exposure, and can gather with other fully vaccinated people indoors. "It is the CDC's first step toward normalcy by balancing the value of social interaction and family interaction that many of us have not been engaging in because of the science-based recommendations, and trying to decrease social isolation," says Dr. Poland.

"It is an appropriate step in moving toward normal life by using a careful 'dimmer switch' rather than an 'on-off' switch approach," he added. "This allows those who have taken the important step of vaccination to carefully begin normalization of life activities, while allowing states and the CDC to measure the effect until vaccines are widely available to all."

43 million fully vaccinated so far

The new guidance is “welcome news to a nation that is understandably tired of the pandemic and longs to safely resume normal activities,” Dr. Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and a former acting director of the CDC, told the Associated Press.

“I hope that this new guidance provides the momentum for everyone to get vaccinated when they can and gives states the patience to follow the public health roadmap needed to reopen their economies and communities safely,” said Besser.

CDC data indicates that as of March 20, more than 43 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID. That's about 13% of the total U.S. population. Experts say 75 to 80 percent of Americans will need to be vaccinated before herd immunity develops and pre-pandemic normality can resume. So get vaccinated when it's your turn, and to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.

10 COVID Symptoms You Haven’t Heard About

Coronavirus cases are now as low as they were in October, but the virus can still make anyone—young or old—sick. With thousands of lives lost, doctors now know that the initial symptoms—to just be a cough, fever and shortness of breath—are in fact more varied, and more comprehensively nefarious, affecting nearly every part of your body. Read on to learn about symptoms you haven’t heard about—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had Coronavirus.

1. You Could Get COVID Tongue

Just this month, a British expert identified “Covid tongue” as a new symptom he is seeing among patients. “Seeing increasing numbers of Covid tongues and strange mouth ulcers. If you have a strange symptom or even just headache and fatigue stay at home!” Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, tweeted this month. He estimated 1 in 500 have this.

2. You Could Get Delirium

“Delirium is a state of acute confusion that starts suddenly and can occur during any illness,” according to the ZOE Covid Symptom Study headed by Spector. “The exact trigger may not always be clear, but delirium can be associated with low oxygen levels or the effects of the underlying illness on the brain. It is generally more common in older people who need help with daily life—for example due mobility problems, poor eyesight, hearing problems or existing memory issues such as dementia.”

3. You Could Hallucinate

“One 55-year old woman with no known current or historical mental illness was admitted to hospital with recognized Covid-19 symptoms including fever, cough and muscle aches,” reports Forbes. “She was discharged after two weeks, having been treated with oxygen, but four days later her husband reported she was confused and behaving strangely. She then experienced hallucinations, reporting seeing lions and monkeys in her house, and became delusional and aggressive with her family and hospital staff. She was treated with anti-psychotic medication and her symptoms improved over the course of three weeks, although the study does not confirm whether she made a full recovery.”

4. Your Skin Might Change

“Younger people with less severe COVID-19 might develop painful, itchy lesions on their hands and feet that resemble chilblains, an inflammatory skin condition,” reports the Mayo Clinic. “Sometimes called COVID toes, this symptom typically lasts about 12 days.”

5. You Might Be Struck by Confusion

“COVID-19 also has been reported to cause confusion in older people, especially those with severe infections,” says the Mayo Clinic.

6. You May Get “Brain Fog”

Pulmonary and critical care physician Joseph Khabbaza, MD, “reports that he’s seen these symptoms quite often,” according to the Cleveland Clinic. “While the medical community is still trying to figure out what causes brain fog, it’s believed that it’s likely a result of the body’s immune response to the virus or inflammation throughout the nervous system and blood vessels that lead to the brain. As for hallucinations and delirium, those, too, stem from the body fighting off the virus.”

7. You Might Have Enlarged Blood Vessels in Your Eye

“COVID-19 might cause eye problems such as enlarged, red blood vessels, swollen eyelids, excessive watering and increased discharge. The infection also might cause light sensitivity and irritation. These symptoms are more common in people with severe infections,” says the Mayo Clinic.

8. You May Have a Splitting Migraine More Than a Few Times a Week

A “headache” is listed as a COVID symptom, according to the CDC, but a migraine can be far more painful—debilitating even. “The headache struck like the sudden boom of a thunderclap, waking the otherwise healthy woman,” reports Hartford Healthcare. “Six hours later, she had other symptoms of COVID-19. The 33-year-old, who had a history of migraine but found this virus-related headache to be different and much worse, is the subject of a case study by Dr. Sandhya Mehla, a headache specialist with the Hartford HealthCare Headache Center."“From the most recently available data,” said Dr. Mehla, “it is estimated that headache is a symptom of COVID-19 in about 13 percent of patients with COVID-19. It is the fifth most common COVID-19 symptom after fever, cough, muscle aches and trouble breathing.”

9. Your Heart Rate or Temperature May Leap Suddenly

“Dr. Khabbaza says he’s seen patients’ heart rates shoot up after minimal activity shortly after becoming infected. This along with elevated temperatures are a result of autonomic dysfunction,” reports the Cleveland Clinic. Says the doctor: “We’re seeing this more and more. When it occurs, our immune system is attacking autonomic nerves — so nerves that regulate things in the body like heart rate and temperature — that thermostat can be thrown off.”

10. You Might Feel Other Weird Stuff—“Nothing is Off the Table”

“Really, nothing is off the table when it comes to COVID. I always get texts from people asking if something they’re experiencing is normal. Well, there’s nothing that’s truly abnormal when it comes to COVID — literally almost anything goes and we don’t exactly know why,” says Dr. Khabbaza.RELATED: 7 Tips You Must Follow to Avoid COVID, Say Doctors

11. You May Feel These More Common COVID Symptoms

“People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness,” says the CDC. “Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19.” Contact a medical profrssional if you think you have coronavirus—and to protect your life and the lives of others, don't visit any of these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.

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