As the Covid vaccination rollout is progressing steadily in various parts of the world, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a new guideline aimed at advising fully vaccinated people. According to the CDC guideline, fully vaccinated people need not get tested for Covid infection even if they are exposed to someone who is sick.
Exceptions for fully vaccinated people
Even though CDC has advised no Covid tests for people who are vaccinated, there are certain exceptions to this. If a fully vaccinated person starts developing Covid symptoms like fever, cough, breathlessness, and severe throat pain, it is highly recommended to carry out a coronavirus test.
CDC has updated its guidelines after several study reports stated that people who are fully vaccinated are at very low risk of developing serious illness due to coronavirus infection. Even if a fully vaccinated person gets infected with the virus, it is very unlikely that he will develop severe symptoms. The chances of a fully vaccinated person spreading the coronavirus infection to others are also very low.
Fully vaccinated people and workplace practices
The CDC guideline also noted that vaccinated people can be excluded from workplace screening. However, there are only a very few companies in the world that are tracking the coronavirus vaccination status of employees. Moreover, several companies have extended the work-from-home option to employees, and as a result, workplace screening by companies is just on paper.
As vaccination is progressing steadily in the United States, the CDC may issue another guideline in the coming days, further relaxing the testing guidelines. It should be also noted that infections like the common cold could also result in symptoms very similar to Covid, and it could lead to a wave of unnecessary testing. Amid all these relaxations, CDC also requested people to wash their hands regularly, and stay home for work.
