Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People
COVID-19 Homepage
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Replaced COVID-19 Community Levels with COVID-19 hospital admission levels to guide prevention decisions. Changes based on:
What You Need to Know
- COVID-19 hospital admission levels can help individuals and communities decide which prevention actions they can take based on the latest information.
- For each level, CDC recommends actions you can take to help you protect yourself and others from severe impacts of COVID-19.
Many people in the United States have some protection, or immunity, against COVID-19 due to vaccination, previous infection, or both. This immunity, combined with the availability of tests and treatments, has greatly reduced the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 for many people.
At the same time, some people—such as those who are older, are immunocompromised, have certain disabilities, or have certain underlying health conditions—continue to be at higher risk for serious illness. Learn more about the factors that can affect your risk of getting very sick from COVID-19 to better understand how COVID-19 could affect you and others around you.
Know Your COVID-19 Hospital Admission Level
Take action to protect yourself and others in your area from COVID-19.
People may choose to wear a mask at any time. Learn when masking is most useful during travel. Masks may be required at times in certain places by state and local authorities.
At all COVID-19 hospital admission levels:
- Stay up to date on vaccination.
- Maintain ventilation improvements.
- Avoid contact with people who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
- Follow recommendations for isolation if you have suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
- Follow the recommendations for what to do if you are exposed to someone with COVID-19.
- If you are at high risk of getting very sick, talk with a healthcare provider about additional prevention actions.
When the COVID-19 hospital admission level is Medium or High:
- If you are at high risk of getting very sick, wear a high-quality mask or respirator (e.g., N95) when indoors in public.
- If you have household or social contact with someone at high risk for getting very sick, consider self-testing to detect infection before contact, and consider wearing a high-quality mask when indoors with them.
When the COVID-19 hospital admission level is High:
- Wear a high-quality mask or respirator.
- If you are at high risk of getting very sick, consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where you could be exposed.
Community-Level Prevention Strategies
At all COVID-19 hospital admission levels:
- Promote equitable access to vaccination, testing, masks and respirators, treatment and prevention medications, community outreach, and support services.
- Ensure access to testing, including through point-of-care and at-home tests for all people.
- Maintain ventilation improvements.
- Provide communications and messaging to encourage isolation among people who test positive.
When the COVID-19 hospital admission level is Medium or High:
- Implement screening testing in high-risk settings where screening testing is recommended.
When the COVID-19 hospital admission level is High:
- Implement healthcare surge support as needed.
Science at CDC
Analysis shows >98% concordance between the retired COVID-19 Community Levels (CCLs) and COVID-19 hospital admission levels. Scientific evidence and studies behind specific guidance and recommendations, as well as further details outlining the agreement between CCLs and COVID-19 hospital admission levels, can be found below.
- MMWR: Correlations and Timeliness of COVID-19 Surveillance Data Sources and Indicators ― United States, October 1, 2020–March 22, 2023
- Scientific Brief: Indicators for Monitoring COVID-19 Community Levels and Making Public Health Recommendations
- Technical Presentation: Indicators for Monitoring COVID-19 Community Levels and Implementing Prevention Strategies [5 MB, 28 pages]