The Niagara County Department of Health made an announcement today regarding quarantine requirements, to reflect the updated U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and New York State (NYS) guidance. “Quarantine will no longer be required for fully vaccinated domestic travelers and fully vaccinated individuals with a close contact exposure,” stated Daniel. J. Stapleton, Public Health Director. 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 here: 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 healthcare 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 healthcare settings. Those who do not meet those qualifying standards, should follow the NYS quarantine guidance here: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/travel-large-gatherings-and-quarantines
“We have conducted over 7,200 first dose vaccinations at our Point of Dispensing (POD) operations,” stated Elise Pignatora, Director of Public Health Planning and Emergency Preparedness. “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,” added Mr. Stapleton. Despite being vaccinated, individuals should continue to follow current guidance to protect themselves and others until herd immunity is reached. “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,” Mr. Stapleton emphasized.
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.
People forewarned the vaccine won’t stop you from getting Covid, it won’t stop you from spreading Covid and it may make you sick. In a British Columbia nursing home a Covid outbreak has been reported today amongst residents and staff, all of whom were vaccinated. The promise to lift restrictions for those vaccinated is tantamount to bribing people to take this experimental vaccine.