When Can Vaccinated People Have Casual Sex Again? An Analysis

Image: Sex Talk With Erika Miley via Twitter

COVID-19 vaccine eligibility is about to open up like mad, and the fabulous weather forecast right now means you will definitely be having Spring Fever soon. You are probably going to get your vaccination appointment in April, if you don’t have it already, which begs the question — when can we start hooking up with strangers again?

This article is not for people in relationships with trusted partners and established boundaries. This article is for single people who have not fucked in a year, and will gladly fuck the first decent option that comes along, as long as we can feel safe and compliant with COVID protocols, and suck/fuck as responsibly as possible.

See, I was scared to get the vaccine but at this point… pic.twitter.com/Rxl6kKYO0Z

— The Sex Coach, MFT (@Raquel_Savage) March 30, 2021

Even if you’ve received the vaccine shot, it’s crucial to remember that you are not fully vaccinated until two weeks after your final shot. If you’re on two-shot regimen with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, that means two weeks after your second shot. You should not consider any contact with someone outside your household until both people have been vaccinated for the two full weeks. 

“The movement back to normal life should be a slow step-by-step,” Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security senior associate Tara Kirk Sell told the New York Times. “Then it should be a gradual move forward, rather than this huge explosion of, ‘I’m free!’”

getting my vaccine this week and am unbelievably excited about having casual sex again. and to like see my family again of course

— mj (@notthejenkys) March 22, 2021

Remember, while the vaccines are very, very effective, they are not 100% effective. 

Unsurprisingly, the CDC guidelines on what you can and can’t do once you’re vaccinated does not make any mention of fucking, oral, or doing anal. But other top-tier medical researchers have given guidance that better applies there.

Covid vaccine sex obviously

— Zundog (@EvanSundog) March 21, 2021

The Mayo Clinic says that after your full two weeks since your shots has passed, you can “Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors — without wearing masks or avoiding close contact.” Boom! Close contact! That means two fully vaccinated people can fuck, right?

Not so fast. The Mayo Clinic also discourages vaccinated people from “Visiting with people who have an unvaccinated household member.” So you have to take the housemates into account as well, because two fully vaccinated people could spread the virus to an unvaccinated housemate.

I miss fucking, so I made stickers. DM me your mailing address and I’ll send you one. 💉 pic.twitter.com/XmKGGgskc9

— Ryn Pfeuffer (@RynPfeuffer) March 20, 2021

But if everyone in both partners’ households is vaccinated, then yes, you’re probably good to have that sex. Dani Blum’s New York Times analysis When Can We Make Out With Strangers Again? notes that “kissing and other intimate contact with someone you don’t know once you’ve been vaccinated is likely to be safe as long as you can confirm that they are also vaccinated.”

UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong told the Times that “If you’re in a controlled setting and you’re just with that person, and you want to take a chance on making out with that person and you think that person doesn’t have any risk of getting bad Covid — from the C.D.C. guidance, you can go ahead and make out with that person all you want.”

The old conversations about when you last got tested for STDs will be replaced by a new and necessary conversation about vaccination status, and other people in your household’s vaccinations status. You do need to trust the person you’re having sex with is telling you the truth in these conversations. There are also commercial rapid tests that you can buy and theoretically test a partner, but those are not 100% accurate either. Your best, safest bet is to not have sex with anyone yet, unless you are confident that everyone in both partners’ households is fully vaccinated.

And you may be out of practice at this, but if you’re fucking again, it’s time to get back in the habit of using condoms, dental dams, and getting frequent STD tests again. 

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