The CDC previously said vaccinated individuals who are asymptomatic did not need to get tested if exposed to someone with COVID-19.
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its testing recommendations for fully vaccinated individuals.
According to the update on the CDC’s website, if a person is fully vaccinated and gets exposed to someone with COVID-19 they should get tested 3-5 days after exposure.
“If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you should get tested 3-5 days after your exposure, even if you don’t have symptoms,” the CDC website states. “You should also wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until your test result is negative. You should isolate for 10 days if your test result is positive.”
The previous recommendation said those who are fully vaccinated did not need to get tested if exposed, unless they were showing symptoms.
This change comes the same week the CDC issued a fresh recommendation that calls for wearing a face mask indoors again in areas of the country that are COVID-19 hot spots, even for the vaccinated. The change covers about two-thirds of all counties and parishes in the United States, according to CDC data.
The organization’s decision came roughly two months after the CDC said vaccinated individuals could go without masks in most situations. But the decision was reversed after the delta variant drove cases back up across the country.
The CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors at schools nationwide, regardless of vaccination status.
The CDC said to look at its county-by-county online data tracker to see where COVID-19 is surging. In the color-coded map, orange reflects substantial community transmission and red indicates high transmission.
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