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The Niagara County Department of Health issued an update Thursday regarding quarantine requirements, to reflect the updated U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and New York state guidance.
“Quarantine will no longer be required for fully vaccinated domestic travelers and fully vaccinated individuals with a close contact exposure,” Public Health Director Daniel. J. Stapleton said.
A person is considered fully vaccinated at least two weeks after receiving the second dose of a two-dose vaccine (e.g. Moderna or Pfizer) or one dose of a single-dose vaccine (e.g. Johnson & Johnson).
Domestic travelers are no longer required to quarantine or test-out within 90 days of full vaccination. International travelers should continue to follow CDC quarantine guidance at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/map-and-travel-notices.html.
Fully vaccinated individuals, who have been in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 positive case, are no longer required to quarantine within 90 days after the second shot as long as they have no symptoms of COVID-19 since their expose. There are some exceptions to the new quarantine guidance. According to the CDC, fully vaccinated inpatients and residents in health care settings should continue to quarantine following an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. This exception is due to the unknown vaccine effectiveness in this population, the higher risk of severe disease and death, and challenges with social distancing in health care settings.
Those who do not meet those qualifying standards should follow the New York state quarantine guidance at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/travel-large-gatherings-and-quarantines.
Director of Public Health Planning and Emergency Preparedness Elise Pignatora said, “We have conducted over 7,200 first-dose vaccinations at our point-of-dispensing (POD) operations.”
Stapleton said, “While we continue to prioritize populations within the NYS eligibility groups, we remain hopeful that, with more vaccine, we will be able to reach the larger community in the near future.”
NCDOH said that, despite being vaccinated, individuals should continue to follow current guidance to protect themselves and others until herd immunity is reached. Stapleton emphasized, “Everyone, despite being vaccinated, should continue to wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet from others, avoid crowds, wash their hands and follow current NYS travel advisory requirements.”
For more information about COVID-19 vaccine and NCDOH PODs, visit https://www.niagaracounty.com/health/Services/Public-Health-Preparedness/2019-Novel- Coronavirus-COVID-19/COVID-19-Vaccination.