State issues new vaccine guidance
By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
Fully vaccinated Pennsylvania residents will no longer have to quarantine if they come into contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19.
The Department of Health announced Friday that quarantine guidance for fully vaccinated people will align with recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Under the updated guidance, people who have received both doses of a two-dose vaccine, or one dose of a single-dose vaccine, do not need to quarantine after exposure to a person with COVID-19 if they meet certain criteria.
Quarantine is not necessary for fully vaccinated people if they are within three months of receiving the last dose in the series and have remained asymptomatic since the COVID-19 exposure.
Because scientists and doctors are unaware of how long the vaccine is effective, the CDC is using a natural post-infection immunity and limiting the quarantine guidance to 90 days while additional research is conducted.
The new guidance applies to the general population, businesses, schools and some health care settings to alleviate staffing shortages, but does not apply to patients or residents in health care settings.
Close contacts who have not been fully vaccinated or who do not meet the criteria have to continue to follow quarantine guidelines established by the DOH and CDC, which can be found online at cdc.gov.
Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said the state will continue to look to the CDC as the pandemic continues.
“We know that Pennsylvanians are eager to get vaccinated and be further protected from COVID-19,” she said. “As the CDC continues to update guidance for individuals who are fully vaccinated, we will follow their lead.
“I want to stress, though, that regardless of vaccination status, individuals who are showing new or unexplained symptoms of COVID-19 still need to isolate and be tested for COVID-19.”
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