PEORIA, Ill. — With the news last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that mask guidelines would be relaxed for fully-vaccinated individuals, many have wondered how to tell if someone is vaccinated or not.
At Thursday’s Peoria City/County Health Department COVID-19 briefing, Public Health Administrator Monica Hendrickson said it all comes down to honesty.
“It is a trust exercise,” said Hendrickson. “A lot of this is going back to asking individuals who are not vaccinated to be honest.
“You don’t know the person you’re standing beside — they may be fully vaccinated, but they may be immunocompromised.
“For their sake, if you’re not vaccinated — wear a mask.”
She said someone could be at risk after an operation like a kidney transplant or by having a pre-existing condition.
Hendrickson acknowledged there’s no real way to tell if someone is vaccinated, as some people on social media have said they will lie about their vaccination status.
“By getting a vaccine — you’re not only taking care of yourself — but you’re taking care of your neighbor,” said Hendrickson. “I don’t have a smallpox vaccine scar because an entire generation stood up to get vaccinated.
“To the individuals who blatantly want to lie about this — that may be your personality — mine would be that if I can do something to protect my neighbor, I’m going to do it.”
As per new CDC guidelines, individuals who are fully-vaccinated can unmask and not social distance in most circumstances.
Hendrickson reminded the community that fully-vaccinated doesn’t mean right after the final dose of a vaccine.
“You are fully-vaccinated two weeks after your final dose,” said Hendrickson. “The day you get your last dose — or your dose of Johnson & Johnson — you still have 14 days before you are considered fully-vaccinated.”
According to Hendrickson, research is still being completed as it relates to when a booster shot may be needed for each type of vaccine.
She also added that she hopes the eligibility age continues to be lowered after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency-use authorization to Pfizer’s vaccine to adolescents beginning at age 12.
