Dr. Fauci says people who get COVID-19 vaccines can now ‘have dinner in a home without masks on’

To date, at least 23 million Americans are now fully vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus. But health officials are still urging caution because there is still so much uncertainty about what is safe and what isn’t after you get your shots as people who get vaccinated are asked to keep wearing masks and continue social distancing.

Just last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci said during a press briefing that even after people are vaccinated against the virus,  there are things “that you’re not going to be able to do,” such as indoor dining.

Now, there is some good news. Americans who have already received the coronavirus vaccines will be able to enjoy and do things they couldn’t do before being vaccinated. These incentives may likely encourage millions of Americans who are still on the fence about taking the vaccine to go and get theirs.

On Sunday appearances on CNN’s “State of the Union,” CBS’ “Face the Nation,” and ABC’s “This Week, ” Dr. Anthony Fauci said people who get COVID-19 shots can do things they couldn’t do before being vaccinated. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said:

“One of the things that I think is going to become clear, that, if you have individuals, adults who are vaccinated, two people that are doubly vaccinated and are protected, then you can do things that we weren’t talking about before. You can have dinner in a home without masks on.”

“You can have friends who you know are doubly vaccinated and are protected together with you. So, you can start doing things essentially in the home, in a setting where you’re not out in the community, where there are 70,000 new infections per day. And you can start doing some of the things that you weren’t able to do before.”

“The thing is, they don’t prove that that happens. They just say, unless you can prove the opposite, you can’t be free and you have to be huddled in your basement wearing a mask. And I’m the opposite: you get your vaccine, you’ve had your second dose, you’re two weeks out, throw away your mask,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a physician, said during a recent appearance on Fox News.

“If you’ve had the disease and you’re a young person, go to restaurants, go out and visit with your friends, do not hunker down in a basement by yourself, go to school, by all means, let’s get back to normal. And let’s treat this with circumspection the idea that the risks should be according to the individual,” added Paul, who contracted and recovered from the CCP virus.

Dr. Fauci added:

“The endpoint of efficacy of the vaccine is preventing clinically apparent disease, which means that you could get infected, have nasopharynx virus in your nose and in your mouth. But because you are vaccinated, you could feel perfectly well and the issue is now, can you then transmit it to others? So until we prove that that’s not the case, that’s the reason why we’re recommending that when people are vaccinated and are in the presence of unvaccinated people to put a mask on to prevent them from infecting others,”

Fauci said that health officials are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to publish updated guidelines on what people can do after getting vaccinated. The new guidance is expected to be released within the next week weeks.