In a White House COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that the CDC has updated mask guidance for people who are fully vaccinated.
People who are vaccinated don’t need to wear masks during many outdoor activities, CDC says https://t.co/wddOgo81e2 pic.twitter.com/wfE7JyZ0NN
— The Verge (@verge) April 27, 2021
On Tuesday, the director of CDC made a statement in a White House briefing that science shows there are “many situations where fully vaccinated people need not wear mask “particularly if they are outdoors.”
Walensky added that those who are fully vaccinated or 14 days after the second those of their COVID-19 Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine shot can start attending a small outdoor gathering with people who are vaccinated or unvaccinated. The director also added that people who are vaccinated can start dining with friends of multiple households without a mask.
On the website of CDC, they also discussed how fully vaccinated people can start gather or conduct outdoor activities without the need of wearing a mask, except for crowded settings and venue. The CDC update has also clarified that workers who are fully vaccinated no longer need to be restricted frpom work after exposure as long as they are asymptomatic.
Walensky mentioned that this is the third update that the CDC has made with regard to the guidance for fully vaccinated people. At present, the agency still recommends wearing masks and avoiding indoor large-sized in-person gatherings.
Two new cases of blood clots linked to Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine are being investigated by federal health officials https://t.co/C1UZSMqlyK
— Bloomberg (@business) April 27, 2021
Meanwhile, the CDC is investigating two new cases of rare, severe blood clot that occurred together with low platelet counts in Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine recipeints. This two new numbers bring the total number of instance to 17.
A spokesperson of CDC told Fox News taht one case of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) under investigation occurred in a male vaccine recipient, and the other in a female, both under age 60.
“Investigations are ongoing. To protect patient privacy CDC does not provide information about cases of adverse events after vaccines that might potentially identify the patients,” a CDC spokesperson told Fox News via email.
According tot he spokesperson, the agency together with the FDA is continuously monitoring reports of TTS through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
Previously the CDC together with the FDA acted to lift a temporary pause that was placed on the rollout of Johnson & Johnson vaccine after determining that the benefits of the vaccine outweighs the risk. There are about 8.1 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been administered in the U.S.
A spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson told Fox News in a statement, “There is no greater priority than the safety and well-being of the people we serve, and we carefully review reports of adverse events in individuals receiving our medicines or vaccines. Any report about an individual receiving our COVID-19 vaccine and our assessment of that report is shared with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other appropriate health authorities.” The spokesperson added, “This is part of the established process to inform health authorities’ comprehensive surveillance programs that monitor the overall safety of medicines, as well the vaccines authorized for use against this pandemic.”
