When will phase 2 start

After you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, take these steps to protect yourself and others:

• In general, you do not need to wear a mask in outdoor settings.
• If you are in an area with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings and when you are in close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.
• If you have a condition or taking medications that weaken your immune system, you may not be fully protected even if you are fully vaccinated. You should continue to take all precautions recommended for unvaccinated people, including wearing a well-fitted mask, until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider.
• If you are fully vaccinated, to maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.

Most people who get COVID-19 are unvaccinated. However, since vaccines are not 100% effective at preventing infection, some people who are fully vaccinated will still get COVID-19. An infection of a fully vaccinated person is referred to as a “vaccine breakthrough infection.”

On November 2, 2021, vaccine eligibility expanded to everyone in the United States ages 5 and older.

When You Are Fully Vaccinated People are considered fully vaccinated: 2 weeks after their second shot in a 2-dose series, like the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or.

How Strong Is Immunity After a COVID-19 Infection? About 90% of people develop some number of protective antibodies after a COVID-19 infection, according to the CDC. But how high those levels climb appears to be all over the map.

It is important to remember that some people with antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 may become infected after vaccination (vaccine breakthrough infection) or after recovering from a past infection (reinfected).

Antibody tests can play an important role in identifying individuals who may have been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and may have developed an adaptive immune response.

However, antibody tests should not be used at this time to determine immunity or protection against COVID-19 at any time, and especially after a person has received a COVID-19 vaccination.

When you are infected with a virus or bacteria, your immune system makes antibodies specifically to fight it. Your immune system can also safely learn to make antibodies through vaccination. Once you have antibodies to a particular disease, they provide some protection from that disease.

If you have questions about whether an antibody test is right for you, talk with your health care provider or your state and local health departments.