Anthony Fauci, one of the US’ top health experts on the pandemic, recently revealed that the CDC may “soon” release a new set of guidelines for individuals who have received both doses of the currently available COVID-19 vaccines.
The health professional told CNN’s “New Day” host Alisyn Camerota that the CDC will likely issue its new guidance after agency officials “look at the data” and develop a “recommendation based on the science.”
Fauci, who also serves as Biden’s chief medical adviser, indicated “common sense” would suggest that fully vaccinated individuals would not have to follow such “stringent” preventative health measures.
“When you say, ‘well, wait a minute,’ if I’m fully vaccinated and my daughter comes in the house and she’s fully vaccinated, do we really have to have as stringent the public health measures than you would if it was a stranger who was not vaccinated and you were not vaccinated? Common sense tells you that,” Fauci said. “In fact, you don’t have to be as stringent in your public health measures. But what we want, we want to get firm recommendations from the CDC, which I believe will be coming soon.”
“They started off with an important recommendation and I believe others will be coming,” he added, touching on the CDC’s early February update that stated fully vaccinated individuals do not have to quarantine if they come in contact with someone who was exposed to the virus.
“I believe you’re going to be hearing more of the recommendations of how you can relax the stringency of some of the things, particularly when you’re dealing with something like your own personal family when people have been vaccinated,” he continued.
Fauci did not specify when said guidelines would be issued by the US health agency, but did note that it would be “forthcoming pretty soon.”
Latest figures provided by the CDC indicate that more than 44.5 million Americans have received their first dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, with nearly 20 million being given both doses.
Pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer are the only providers with an approved COVID-19 vaccine at the moment. However, medical company Johnson & Johnson may soon become the latest to join the list, as its candidateship is due to be reviewed by the US Food and Drug Administration advisory committee on Friday.
Unlike vaccines provided by Moderna and Pfizer, the Johnson & Johnson shot only requires one dose.