I got the COVID-19 vaccine. What can I safely do?

You can enjoy small gatherings again, but should continue wearing a mask and social distancing in public.

In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fully vaccinated people can gather maskless with other vaccinated people indoors. It also says you can meet with unvaccinated people from one household at a time, if those people are considered at low risk of severe COVID-19. In other countries, the guidance may vary.

In public, the CDC recommends that vaccinated people continue wearing masks, avoid large gatherings and stay apart from others.

A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last required dose of vaccine.

Guidance on other activities for vaccinated people remains cautious. The CDC still discourages unnecessary travel, for example, and hasn’t yet made a recommendation about going to restaurants or other places..

The CDC expects to update the guidance to allow more activities as infections decline and vaccinations increase.

One reason to keep your guard up after getting one dose of a two-dose vaccine: infection while having partial protection sets up the potential for the virus to mutate, said Dr. Joshua LaBaer, director of the Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute.