Guidance for fully vaccinated coming soon: Tam

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says she'll soon have advice to help fully vaccinated Canadians figure out what they can safely do, but she says much will depend on who you are and where you live.

More than 7.5 million Canadians, or 20 per cent of the entire population, has now received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine but there is still no guidance on what that means for personal behaviour.

The Centers for Disease Control in the United States issued its first advice for fully vaccinated Americans in early March, when less than 10 per cent of the U.S. population had all required doses.

That initial advice included being able to visit safely with other fully vaccinated people, including indoors, without masks or physical distancing.

But Tam says the Delta variant adds new risks, full vaccination doesn't guarantee people won't get COVID-19, and it's hard to know who is vaccinated and who is not.

She says a risk-assessment tool for Canadians is being developed with provincial and territorial health officials and she is urging Canadians to keep following local public guidance and know about their own risks from COVID-19.