I’m vaccinated now. Do I still need to get a COVID test? A helpful Q&A.
With North Carolina now offering vaccines to a large portion of the population, many of us can get vaccinated.
Should we still get tested for the virus?
Over the last several weeks, many have either decided against getting tested or haven’t seen a need to.
Over the past week, North Carolina has averaged just under 34,000 tests per day. In mid-January, the state averaged nearly 75,000 tests per day.
At that time, new cases and hospitalizations were peaking due to a post-holiday-gatherings surge. In January alone, over 2,800 people in North Carolina died from the virus. It was the deadliest month of the pandemic.
Since then, new cases, hospitalizations and deaths have gone down to pre-Thanksgiving numbers. Over 1.5 million in North Carolina have been fully vaccinated since the state first started offering them in mid-December.
Should I continue to get tested after getting vaccinated?
Are you coughing? Have a fever or shortness of breath? Then yes, you should get tested even if you’ve been vaccinated, says the state Department of Health and Human Services.
If you haven’t been vaccinated, DHHS says you should be tested if you believe you’ve been exposed to the virus, even if you don’t have symptoms.
If you have been vaccinated and don’t have symptoms, however, you don’t need to get tested even if you suspect you’ve been exposed to the virus, per guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What if I’m in a high-risk group?
If you’re in a high-risk group or setting and suspect you’ve been exposed to the virus, you should get tested even if you’re vaccinated and don’t have symptoms.
DHHS says you’re in a high risk group if you have certain medical conditions that make you more vulnerable to severe cases.
For instance, if you’re 65 or older, pregnant or a smoker, you should get tested after exposure, even if you’re vaccinated and have no symptoms.
You can find other medical conditions that DHHS recommends for testing regardless of vaccination at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/information/individuals-families-communities/individuals-higher-risk.
Another exception are high-risk settings.
If you live in these settings or even if you regularly come in contact with people who do, you should get tested after potential exposure, even if you’re vaccinated and asymptomatic.
Examples of high-risk settings are long-term care facilities, homeless shelters, prisons and migrant farmworker camps, among others.
There are also exceptions dependent on your job and race.
If you’re from a historically marginalized population, a front-line essential worker, a health care worker or a first responder, DHHS recommends testing after exposure, regardless of vaccination status and symptoms.
You can find a list of front-line essential workers, as DHHS defines them, at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/vaccines/find-your-spot-take-your-shot/deeper-dive-group-3#frontline-essential-worker.
If your work or school is holding test screenings, DHHS says you should participate in those, even if vaccinated and asymptomatic, as testing may play a role in preventing future spread of the virus.
You can find more information on testing sites and events at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/about-covid-19/testing/find-my-testing-place.
Do I still need to wear a mask and social distance if I’m vaccinated?
Yes, even if you’re vaccinated, you should continue to wear a mask in public settings, to maintain social distance of at least 6 feet and to wash your hands frequently, per CDC guidance.
In private settings, you don’t have to wear a mask or social distance, if you and everyone you’re with are vaccinated.
Even if you’re gathering with people who are unvaccinated, masks and social distance aren’t necessary as long as they are from one household and are not in a high-risk group.
If they, or someone in their household, are unvaccinated and in a high risk group, it is recommended that you wear a mask and social distance.
Why are testing numbers decreasing?
As more people get vaccinated, DHHS expects a continued decrease in viral spread and a decreased need for those vaccinated and asymptomatic to be tested.
Reported new COVID-19 cases have decreased rapidly since mid-January.
On Wednesday, DHHS reported an average of just over 1,700 new cases per day over the last week. In mid-January, that average peaked at over 8,600 new cases per day.
With this decline in the rate of new cases, DHHS said that testing numbers are expected to decrease.
Prior to the post-Thanksgiving surge, testing numbers and the rate of new cases were roughly the same as they are now.
After steadily decreasing, the percentage of tests returning positive have increased over the last week.
But DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen says the current numbers are still promising when compared to January’s peak, when the weekly average for tests returned positive per day was 15.1%.
The latest weekly average has that rate at just over 5%.
How do variants affect testing?
Over the last several weeks variants of the coronavirus, including an especially contagious one out of the United Kingdom, have been found in the United States.
Vaccines still work against them, according to DHHS. Both Gov. Roy Cooper and Cohen said so Tuesday at a press conference.
Currently, DHHS recommendations for testing and spread prevention for COVID-19 and its variants are the same.
This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 7:00 AM.