LOWVILLE, NY —Â The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance regarding quarantine following exposure to someone with COVID-19. According to the guidance, asymptomatic fully vaccinated individuals, meaning those who have received both shots and at least two weeks have passed since the second shot, are no longer required to quarantine within 90 days after the second shot. Lewis County is adopting this guidance.
Fully vaccinated Lewis County residents with an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 or who have traveled within the US, will not be required to quarantine if they meet ALL of the following criteria:
• They are fully vaccinated at the time of their exposure or before they travel, meaning at least 14 days have passed since their second dose of the COVID 19 vaccine;
• They are within 90 days following receipt of the last dose in the series at the time of their exposure;
• They have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID-19 exposure and;
• Their vaccination status can be verified in the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS), the state’s online portal that allows health care professionals access to vaccination histories.
Residents will still be required to complete a contact interview to provide the necessary information to complete the immunization verification process.
While the available COVID-19 vaccines have demonstrated high efficacy at preventing severe and symptomatic COVID-19, there is currently limited information on how much the vaccine might reduce transmission and how long protection lasts. In addition, the efficacy of the vaccines against emerging variants is not known. For these reasons, Lewis County Public Health continues to recommend vaccinated persons continue to follow current guidance to protect
themselves and others. This includes wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds, staying home when you are sick, covering coughs and sneezes, and washing hands often.